Near The Parenthesis
Tim Arndt is a San Francisco-based electronic musician that creates warm electronic sonics as Near The Parenthesis.
In 2006, Arndt released "Go Out and See" on the Canadian boutique imprint Music Made By People. Go Out and See is a soulful album that feels both vaporous and heavy-hearted without being sappy or academic, winning enthusiastic reviews from XLR8R, The Wire, and Textura. A follow-up EP titled "Be Still" on Japan's Duotone records, featured five more of Arndt's emotionally tidal compositions in limited release. In the summer of 2006 Arndt signed on with n5MD, which has been Near The Parenthesis' home ever since.
"Of Soft Construction" was the first album released via n5MD. It found Arndt displaying a passion, eclecticism, and cohesion only previously hinted at in his work. "Tranquil," "haunting," "delicate," and "airy" were just a few of the many adjectives used by the press to describe "Of Soft Construction."
Shortly after a trip to Spain, Arndt set out to complete his first concept release "L'Eixample." The album, released in 2008, was inspired the modernist architecture of the L'Eixample district of Barcelona. "L'Eixample" became the first step in a series of albums that utilized and an increasing amount of piano. The album has been said to be his most hypnotic, almost religious, by way of its multi-layered tapestries of sound.
In 2009, Arndt took a short break from Near the Parenthesis to produce an EP in collaboration with n5MD alumni Arc Lab which was released on Hidden Shoal Records. The two worked under the name "Down Review" and provided Arndt an outlet for decidedly beat-heavier productions as his works under Near the Parenthesis continued to drift to more piano forward compositions, exemplified in 2010's "Music for the Forest Concourse." Arndt produced a highly-thematic album, which was to become, in his view, the least "electronic" in his catalog thus far. The work was created for the specific experience of listening outside, specifically at dusk, and conceived as a collection that could be performed with a four-piece ensemble of conventional instruments.
Less than a year later, Arndt completed his next album, "Japanese for Beginners." Arndt intended to create something decidedly less organic, which includes what might be some of the most creative drum programing of his career. Building on this new platform, Japanese for Beginners continues Arndt's bias and skill in constructing cohesively gentile piano motifs.
In 2014 Arndt completed "Cloud.Not Mountain". An album that further explored the less organic ethos of "Japanese for Beginners" into more abstract experimental territory while still yielding some of the best emotively shrouded melodies of Arndt's career thus far. The album featured off-grid drum programming mixed with more experimental motifs, which makes "Cloud.Not Mountain" a solitary beacon in his catalog.
In mid-2016, n5MD released Helical. A highly personal release for Arndt, which found him focusing back on the piano as the main instrument. "personal" and "intimate" were common descriptors for Helical. After the release of Helical Arndt took some time out to compose for film and further hone his skills at the piano. In mid-2019 Arndt completed Intervals, which will be his eighth album out this October. The album is the first Nea the Parenthesis release, where the initial writing process utilized the family piano. It is his most focused release thus far and proves to be a new apex in Arndt's rich catalog of works.
In 2006, Arndt released "Go Out and See" on the Canadian boutique imprint Music Made By People. Go Out and See is a soulful album that feels both vaporous and heavy-hearted without being sappy or academic, winning enthusiastic reviews from XLR8R, The Wire, and Textura. A follow-up EP titled "Be Still" on Japan's Duotone records, featured five more of Arndt's emotionally tidal compositions in limited release. In the summer of 2006 Arndt signed on with n5MD, which has been Near The Parenthesis' home ever since.
"Of Soft Construction" was the first album released via n5MD. It found Arndt displaying a passion, eclecticism, and cohesion only previously hinted at in his work. "Tranquil," "haunting," "delicate," and "airy" were just a few of the many adjectives used by the press to describe "Of Soft Construction."
Shortly after a trip to Spain, Arndt set out to complete his first concept release "L'Eixample." The album, released in 2008, was inspired the modernist architecture of the L'Eixample district of Barcelona. "L'Eixample" became the first step in a series of albums that utilized and an increasing amount of piano. The album has been said to be his most hypnotic, almost religious, by way of its multi-layered tapestries of sound.
In 2009, Arndt took a short break from Near the Parenthesis to produce an EP in collaboration with n5MD alumni Arc Lab which was released on Hidden Shoal Records. The two worked under the name "Down Review" and provided Arndt an outlet for decidedly beat-heavier productions as his works under Near the Parenthesis continued to drift to more piano forward compositions, exemplified in 2010's "Music for the Forest Concourse." Arndt produced a highly-thematic album, which was to become, in his view, the least "electronic" in his catalog thus far. The work was created for the specific experience of listening outside, specifically at dusk, and conceived as a collection that could be performed with a four-piece ensemble of conventional instruments.
Less than a year later, Arndt completed his next album, "Japanese for Beginners." Arndt intended to create something decidedly less organic, which includes what might be some of the most creative drum programing of his career. Building on this new platform, Japanese for Beginners continues Arndt's bias and skill in constructing cohesively gentile piano motifs.
In 2014 Arndt completed "Cloud.Not Mountain". An album that further explored the less organic ethos of "Japanese for Beginners" into more abstract experimental territory while still yielding some of the best emotively shrouded melodies of Arndt's career thus far. The album featured off-grid drum programming mixed with more experimental motifs, which makes "Cloud.Not Mountain" a solitary beacon in his catalog.
In mid-2016, n5MD released Helical. A highly personal release for Arndt, which found him focusing back on the piano as the main instrument. "personal" and "intimate" were common descriptors for Helical. After the release of Helical Arndt took some time out to compose for film and further hone his skills at the piano. In mid-2019 Arndt completed Intervals, which will be his eighth album out this October. The album is the first Nea the Parenthesis release, where the initial writing process utilized the family piano. It is his most focused release thus far and proves to be a new apex in Arndt's rich catalog of works.