This was recorded for Old Tunes Fresh Takes podcast episode 9, a recording of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_Owlet .

For this I tried to use as many historical instruments (lute, recorder, hand drums, frame drums) as I could, but tried to make the actual composition more modern than historical. I had the cellos play a throbbing simple line of just the chords’ roots so that at first it sounds almost like singing over a drone, like you'd hear with a hurdygurdy or a lot of renaissance music.

I put a few measures instrumental in between each pair of verses to allow the listener some time to digest the story, since it’s a lot to take all at once. I tried to vary up the instrumentation from verse to verse to keep the listener interested and for it not to start to feel formulaic, which I think is a danger on longer compositions that are strophic/verse based.

Child Owlet

4 String Quartets and 1 Wind Quartet
They're exploring the concept of esoteric directions, gates, and the elements of each direction.

North

East

Pastoral Paths

This piece refers to the idea of places containing all that happened there. Locations that have a lot of spiritual activity even long after the events taking place. To portray this I tried to include a few different melodic themes melding in and out of each other, some more martial and some more peaceful and childlike.

Interstitial Echoes

In my esoteric/occult studies, I'm at a point where a bit of contemplation and work is focused on the underworld, or Duat, which translates from Egyptian to 'Where the Sun Sets'. I tried to capture some of the twists and turns and ultimately the weighing via changing modes and moods for each stage.

Where The Sun Sets

I tried to capture even a small bit of the wonder and intensity that must occur in the Book of Enoch, Book 1, where he reaches 7th heaven and sees the throne, with the angels surrounding it. In addition to the repeating leitmotif trying to sound both grand and approachable, I also put this piece in 7/8 and had to include a harp, as a nod to all the popular depiction of angels.

Enoch Enraptured

This EP came from a year of listening to a lot of Yacht Rock or 'Mellow Gold' along with some jazz and funk- all the while studying a lot of occult and esotericism. The themes blended together much more than I'd have expected.

Duat River

Kingdom

Astral Unravelled

Owl Of Saturn

Long After

Josh Kirch is a musician and composer who started with guitar, and he soon moved to classical guitar and performing in a guitar quartet - really enjoying the range of repertoire and especially the Renaissance pieces available. This eventually led him to start learning the lute and cello.
His compositions often mix electronic elements with classical and early music instrumentation and themes, as well as more standard rock and folk  moments.

Josh Kirch

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