Orchestra of Sound previews album "Flying High" with gorgeous single, “The Month of May”
Some instrumental songs say more in three minutes than most lyrics manage in an entire album! “The Month of May” from Orchestra of Sound is truly the definition of that. This one is uplifting, emotional, and beautifully built, and it makes a wonderful first look at the project’s upcoming album, “Flying High.”
Orchestra of Sound is the creation of Paul Snider, and the idea behind it is a fascinating one. Instead of a traditional orchestra, Snider builds his compositions from sounds recorded across Canada and beyond. Ocean waves, mountain rocks, wheat fields, bridges, recycled objects, and handmade instruments built from reclaimed materials all get shaped, tuned, and woven into cinematic music. After a decade of building instruments from recycled materials and creating inventive musical theatre productions, he’s turned all of it into something that makes you hear the world a little differently.
The best part is that it sounds as natural as ever. You’d never listen to “The Month of May” and think of it as an experiment. It’s a gorgeous, piano forward piece, and the melody leads the way with warmth and real feeling. The sound design is lovely throughout, adding texture and depth that you can sense even when you can’t quite name where each sound came from. It blurs the line between environmental soundscape and orchestra in the best way. There’s no gimmicks happening here!
Then there are the drums, which are powerful and add a ton to the song. They give the piano something to push against, and they help the track grow in intensity as it goes. It starts out gentle and reflective, then steadily builds into something bigger and more emotional. That’s not even to mention those also subtle horns that glide their way in the latter half.
There’s hope in it, and a bit of longing too, and the whole thing is simply lovely to sit with. Again, with no words!
As a preview of “Flying High,” the track is incredibly promising. The album is the culmination of several years of recording, composing, and experimentation, and it grew out of the music from Snider’s live multimedia theatre production. Vancouver-based mastering engineer Kurt Von Hahn handled the final polish and his decades of experience help the whole thing shine.
“The Month of May” is a lovely, heartfelt listen, and Paul Snider has done an exceptional job putting it together. It leaves us eager to hear the full album and everything else hiding in the sounds around us. It officially comes out on November 1st, but for now, go ahead and click those links below to enjoy the single and of course to stay tuned for plenty more.
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