Mysteries Of The Deep

Mysteries of the Deep is delighted to present its second album by Portland, Oregon-based musician and multimedia artist William Selman (@wselman), entitled “Naming Before Names.” In a world that demands categorization of everything around us through taxonomies, genres, and strict schemas, Selman’s album aims to explore the spaces between categories. His goal is not to offer concrete explanatory gestures, but rather, to create a deliberate space for suspension and ambiguity. These eight compositions conjure a world in which humans are asked to stand on the periphery, observing their surroundings from a vantage of curious wonder, rather than clear definition. Selman draws from distinct sonic realms, however, citing David Berhman, Maggi Payne, and Alvin Curran as influences. He says, “I like the way these artists use simple forms to ground dense compositions with an approach to composition that is improvisational and collage-like.” In line with this sentiment, the album’s quality is uncannily natural. Many of S