Private unmastered album preview

Justin Wright
A Really Good Spot

An ode to the creative process

Montreal composer and cellist Justin Wright’s sophomore album, A Really Good Spot, is an ode to the creative process, intricately stitched together from cassette loops, string improvisations, modular synthesizer patches, field recordings, and orchestral arrangements.

While the cello remains a central engine behind many of the tracks, A Really Good Spot is a drastic departure from Justin’s previous records of acoustic string drones (Music for Staying Warm and Peter Broderick Plays Justin Wright), comfortably meandering between overdriven synthesizers and quiet string quartets, from polished production to raw recordings, as well as introducing sung and spoken voice for the first time in Justin’s work.

The transparent result, mixed by Pietro Amato (Bell Orchestre, The Luyas), intimately and honestly embraces the beautiful spontaneous moments, tribulations, and studio edits that would conventionally be removed from a polished production, and brings them to the foreground. A Really Good Spot is a celebration of process, showcasing the reciprocal relationship between the many elements of a recorded work, as well as that between the artist and his compositions as they grew and changed together over a five year period.

The latter was most notably illustrated when Justin met Pulitzer-winning composer Caroline Shaw as he was experimenting with cassette loops during a residency at the Banff Centre. After workshopping several of the compositions heard here, Shaw pushed him to apply for Princeton University’s highly-selective PhD program in composition with her recommendation, where he was accepted despite having no formal music education. At Princeton, Justin finally completed the album with instruction from composers such as Donnacha Dennehy, Steve Mackey, Dan Trueman, and Juri Seo.

Stemming from an eventful five years, A Really Good Spot presents an abstract exploration and appreciation for the processes of artistic and personal evolution, pushing boundaries while still maintaining an emotional and evocative sound.

Contact: justin@justinwright.ca

Recorded by Justin Wright, James Clemens-Seely (Banff Centre), Steve Newton (The Pines), and Pietro Amato (Skybarn)

Mixed by Pietro Amato, additional mixing by Steve Newton and Justin Wright

Composition, cello, synthesizers (modular and others), piano, cassette loops, composition by Justin Wright

01 A Really Good Spot

02 Hellbrunn Automatons

03 Morning Is A Stray Thread
Lyrics: Alexandra Trnka
Voice: John Guliak
Violin: Kate Maloney

04 Codex
Violin: Joy Becker
Viola: Katey

05 A View from the Drone Garden
Violin and viola: Kate Maloney

06 We’re Still Here
Improvised violin and voice: Thanya Iyer

07 Sad Arps
Voice: Year of Glad

08 The Pines Memorial Sample Pack

09 Surfacing / Irregular French Verbs in the Present Tense
Flute: Lina Andonovska
Voice: Sarvenaz Amir-E

10 Two Improvisations with Thanya
Violin: Thanya Iyer

Total length: 42:04

Additional Information

-This recording has received funding from the Canada Council for the Arts ($25,400) and FACTOR ($10,000). Remaining FACTOR funding may cover mastering, while CCA funding may cover physical distribution.

-FACTOR has pre-cleared this project for an additional $30,000 toward music videos or live videos, $5000 toward radio marketing, as well as additional marketing funding.

-Justin Wright has shared the stage with Johann Johannsson, Hauschka, Colin Stetson, Lubomyr Melnyk, Alexandra Streliski, Mount Eerie, Bing and Ruth, and others.

-Peter Broderick recorded piano reworks of Justin’s compositions, leading him and Justin to release an EP together called Peter Broderick Plays Justin Wright (First Terrace Records).

-Justin is completing a PhD in composition, but is still free to tour up to 6 months of the year, and take additional time off for specific performances. He has toured extensively in the US, Canada, and Europe in his collaborative and solo projects.