Written by: Paul Gleason

When used in the title of a work of art, the word “blue” forms associations and sets expectations.

A string of standout albums comes to mind: John Coltrane’s Blue Train, Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, Joni Mitchell’s Blue, Tim Buckley’s Blue Afternoon, Lou Reed’s The Blue Mask, Massive Attack’s Blue Lines, and Orenda Fink’s Blue Dream, among many others.

As these records indicate, a “blue” album promises melancholy and soul searching. It promises to be the soundtrack for quiet meditation but also – as the great blues artists taught us – a howl of despair.

Now, Henry Plotnick has entered the blue fray with his second album, blue fourteen.

But the thing is, Plotnick, whose first album Fields can be characterized as a highly original and successful foray into experimental electronically tinged classical music, is 13 years old. Can this young Mozart of minimalism offer a new shade of blue?

The answer is a resounding, “Yes.”

Plotnick engrosses you in his music at the outset of blue fourteen with “Qualia,” a 16-minute composition whose loops recall the work of Glass, Reich, and Riley. With the loops putting you in a meditative mindset and taking you on an inner journey, the instrumental flourishes build the track into something more complex. These flourishes – percussive and melodic – hint at the intricacies in the innermost workings of your mind…how you sort through your life in thoughts and dreams.

A truly frightening piece, the second track, “Mechanolatry,” uses string effects that would have made Schoenberg proud and the young Stravinsky angry. Plotnick loops the strings, so that they create a sense of unease and tension – and, as a listener, you feel trapped in a nightmare straight out of Kafka. To this, he adds off-kilter percussive sounds. Chances are you won’t hear another song that captures how depression feels in quite this way.

But, blue fourteen suggests, you’re more than just your melancholy.

Hence, “Kinetic Point” and the tracks that follow.

“Kinetic Point” places you in the land of Davis and Coltrane. This time, Plotnick sounds like Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner in his looping – all jazz chords and buoyant energy. In relation to what came before, “Kinetic” is a respite – a suggestion of movement out of the penal colony of “Mechanolatry.”

At 16 minutes, “Wapiti” matches “Qualia” in length. One of the strongest songs in the set, it continues the kinetic quality of “Kinetic” and builds into a terrific (synth pop?) dance track, complete with great beats. In fact, the rhythms take over to such an extent that the song becomes what great pop music should feel like in the 21^st century.

Also constructed on rhythm, “Izles” is another terrific pop song. Plotnick creates a flute-like loop that smacks of The Beach Boys’ “Sloop John B.” And the way in which the loop matches the beat shows that he has Brian Wilson’s compositional ability. The almost classical piano embellishments and unexpected chords enhance the exuberance of this perfect seven-minute pop song.

The true tour de force of blue fourteen – “Sun” – closes off the album. The track somehow manages to be experimental and catchy at the same time. It’s like Plotnick has taken the best of the avant-garde – Schoenberg, Reich, etc. – and provided it with some sunlight. The work of both Basinski and Fennesz comes to mind, and Plotnick’s sweeping synth flourishes make “Sun” as bright as anything on Fennesz’ classic Endless Summer.

“Sun” – as does the rest of blue fourteen – satisfies on all fronts. It’s great avant-garde music, great synth pop, great dance music, and great classical music. Heck, it’s even got some terrific jazz.

blue fourteen definitely offers a different shade of blue – and Henry Plotnick continues to astound.

You can purchase blue fourteen here.