First Impressions: I’ll Send You a Sign by R&D

The debut effort from R&D, aka harpist Rebecca El-Saleh (Kitba) and guitarist Dan Knishkowy (Adeline Hotel), is an ambient excursion seemingly designed for meditation and/or the late-night revelries known as contemplation, cogitation, and rumination. 

Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. And again. Allow one’s self to be swept away on the melodies and instrumental interplay. Focus on the harp and guitar, how the strings bend and blend into one. The plucks and strums engage in a delicate dance reminiscent, in some respects, of the metaphoric sways, swirls, and twirls of the heart and soul. It’s modern and interpretative, jazz, classical, new age, and even folk rolled into one. It reminds me, in the best of ways, of the Windham Hill sound.

The hushed sonatas are not uniform. Some replicate the calm sea, with gentle waves riding in from the distant horizon. Others, such as “Shadow’s Shadow,” conjure stormy waters, perhaps Rembrandt’s “The Storm on the Sea of Galilee.” Dark clouds hover overhead, a fishing schooner rocks onto its side, seemingly about to capsize, yet all is not lost—sunlight and serenity beckon.

Not everyone appreciates quiet cacophonies, of course, but for those who do: I’ll Send You a Sign is a welcome respite from the madness that pockmarks the modern world.