CATALOG

NEWS

"Put simply Aerial Roots is three lengthy tracks where Boyd improvises with multiple bass sounds and interjects other instrumental (and occasional vocal) subtleties over looped basslines. The scarily titled, "Everytime I Don The Ski Mask" couldn't be further from the experience in which Boyd exploits simplicity to the hilt, adding layer upon layer and filling the space with shimmering sunshine and fresh air. On the bookended "Pensive Pez" - the most genteel and shortest piece (at a mere 9 minutes) - the tones that Boyd produces from his bass(es) are as delicate as notes resounding from a classical guitar. For "We Know Time" much the same formula is applied but it leans more against jazz improvisation than the preceding moods, and drones feature courtesy of the bow. Working with loops can often lead to cluttered and overloaded spaces but Boyd has them well under control and reigns any growingly erratic or wayward directions back into the tempered fold. Minimal sidles up to maximal and back again."
Leicester Bangs

"Straight from the liners, "CJ plays electric bass, double bass, harmonica, melodica, percussion and sings/whistles" and that is in essence, the body that makes up Aerial Roots. But the soul of Aerial Roots is much more. Bass player C.J. Boyd experiments and improvises his way through three songs that encompass 44 minutes. His arrangements are equally simplistic, breath-taking and haunting as they slowly burn their way into your psyche. If you're a fan of slow-core bands with an emphasis on guitar work and you've got the patience, Boyd's Aerial Roots will reward your time."
Sound As Language

"C.J. Boyd is as expressive as he is talented. Aerial Roots proves his vision to push simplicity into another realm that is filled with beauty without being overtly boastful in presentation."
ZapTown

"Armed only with four strings (electric or contrabass), a looping station, a gob iron, and occasional vocals that will haunt your sleep, CJ Boyd draws droning, horizon-bending soundscapes that he improvises wistful textures over, under, and through. If it reads minimalist on paper, well, to borrow sports cliche No. 14, that's why they play the games - the effect is anything but. Boyd has a great ear for developing and exploiting subtle tensions, much like some of his stated influences (Edgar Meyer, Arvo Part, Tortoise, Low, Eluvium, among many others). His most recent solo release, Aerial Roots, is a thing of ambient beauty. "
Creative Loafing

"Its soundscape of, broadly, ambient spacey music is constructed entirely from "organic" instruments played by Boyd himself. More importantly, the musical effect is as intended, Boyd creating a soundscape that is interesting texturally, melodically and rhythmically: overall an album of pleasant instrumental groovic ambient music... For all those of you who enjoy ambient, spacey, groovic music, this album brings unusual textures to the fore and may well be worth investigating."
Sea of Tranquility

"A musical experience... Three tracks in 45 minutes is just what you can expect from certain instrumental artists where the music seems to float out into eternity. Sometimes it feels not quite attractive. But on "Aerial Roots" is not primarily music you face out, it's an experience that you become a part of. The acoustic instruments may be considerable scope and operates the tracks forward slowly. But it is never boring, variation is large and in no way contained in your bassist CJ Boyd's music to the point that you almost do not want to leave. The whole time you're ready for something new, something to change. And it's the small changes in the music as it is large."
Ikon 1931

"Its dreamy, stream-of-conscious meanderings are as fascinating as they are inconclusive. The way the music seems to be on its own quest, it reminds me a little of Chris Whitley's later stuff. I'm sure there's a pattern to it all hidden within its gentle cadence, but sometimes the question and the curiosity they provoke are more important than the answers."
Rochester City News

"CJ Boyd is another in the line of one-man bands (Rob Lowe, Chris Schlarb, Adam Forkner) more interested in creating extended sound worlds than writing songs. Boyd keeps a limited palette, using only basses, a melodica, a harmonica, and mouth sounds to create his extended loop-based pieces. From listening one could imagine that Boyd is using loops, but it isn't obvious, and overall this music has a live feel to it, and could even be lumped in with math-rock. Throughout Aerial Roots, Boyd's playing conjures tension, build, and the specter of the unknown, staying away from major keys and the easy glory of bursting crescendos. There's syncopation all over the place, keeping things from feeling too settled and keeping the listener from feeling much calm. The first and last track are faster in pace, have a more technical sound, and bookend the most moving and shortest track, "Pensive Pez", which at almost nine minutes isn't really all that short... CJ Boyd has the power to envelope, and he uses it."
Delusions Of Adequacy

"CJ Boyd coaxes ambient, swooning mountains of sound from his upright bass."
Cincinnati City Beat

"Boyd is head over heels for jazz improvisation, and this track, "We Know Time," which clocks in at 19 minutes, is proof."
LEO Weekly

"Three songs totaling three-quarter hours. That's a scenario you'd expect from masterful instrumental acts like Godspeed You! Black Emperor or early electronic geniuses like Klaus Schulze. In a way, on Aerial Roots CJ Boyd channels both artists. He has the instrumental aspects of the former and the minimalist drone of the later... Aerial Roots is an expansive aural state of being on par with the metaphysical experience. What makes Boyd's music intriguing is his seemingly sole use of acoustics. There are loops, and ethereal electronic drones, but the melody is carried by what sounds like an acoustic bass, an acoustic guitar, and occasional percussion. There are moments of paroxysms in which sound build to explosive heights, but for the most part Boyd maintains the calm, reigns it in, and, in a way, tames it. Instrumental, Aerial Roots is a beast ready to pounce but it never quite does. Boyd has pieced together a sound that yearns for more but, as much as it wants to, never quite gives in to temptation."
FensePost

"CJ Boyd is a bassplayer with some impressive skills. "
The End Of Irony

"...its echoing and atmospheric... its dark, heavy... It's very minimal and repetitive but the droned overtones add an air of richness to the piece. Simultaneously simple and complex, Aerial Roots lives up to its name... you can marvel at Boyd's technical skill and creative use of instrumentation."
Stereo Subversion

"pretty damn enticing... The closest sound it can be compared to is Mark McGuire minus the tape hiss and samples. It consists of three tracks, "Everytime I Don The Ski Mask" (a little Don Cab-esque, dontchathink?), "Pensive Pez," and "We Know Time," all of which blend to make one consistent and cohesive album."
Olive Music

"Seemingly without effort, the first 15-minute track drew me in and covered me in a warm, cozy blanket of dreaminess. My pulse slowed, my pupils dilated, and I found myself drifting out into a calm, mental sea. When the first semblance of rhythm appears at the 8-minute mark, it doesn't even feel necessary... Ambient, like jazz, dub, doom rock, and other party killers, is not for everyone. It requires some patience and a willingness to let go of some front-brain cognitive ability. But the mark of a good artist is how quickly it can willingly lead you into its soundscape and how strange it feels when you leave it."
Read Junk

"CJ Boyd is one such man taking a decidedly obtuse approach to music. Making things even less commercially oriented...the songs on this album are long...very, very long. Only three tracks here. The first is over fifteen minutes long, the second almost nine minutes, and the third close to twenty minutes. CJ is the only player on this album...utilizing his skills on electric bass, double bass, harmonica, melodica, and percussion. The songs don't really fit specifically within any one genre...but there are plenty of traces of modern classical and jazz and ambient music here. The lengthy songs are a plus...because they allow Boyd to really relax and manipulate sound at his own pace. Really beautiful sparse stuff...that sounds even better if you turn the volume way, way up. Cool mentally challenging compositions from a man with a truly inventive mind. Recommended. "
babysue

"I try to use the word genius very carefully so I will use the words wildly inventive and talented when speaking about the latest musician to sign with Joyful Noise, C.J. Boyd. Boyd has been dragging his upright bass around the world for years, and this November he will release his newest work, the 45 minute three track adventure, called Aerial Roots. Beginning with the tiniest basslines, and then slowly buildings and shifting and multiplying, Boyd takes his time with this complex collection and truly lays firm roots. The texture of Boyd's music ranges from delicate meditations to explosive, layered, and hugely complex walls of sound, CJ masterfully orchestrates waves of bass loops coupled with Jazz-driven improvisational prowess. His sound defies classification and soars every close to the furthest reaches of music... Aerial Root builds profoundly upon that release as he continues to experiment and explore. His work makes you step back and reflect upon everything you are and everything you want to be."
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