Album Notes

Light Plays On A Pearl is an album that approaches pop music from a different perspective. The short album (only 7 tracks) is purposefully arranged for only acoustic guitars, cellos and voices.
“With this CD, I am trying to approach pop music from a more classical perspective. When a composer writes a piece, he/she knows the limitations. This is a piece for solo oboe, or orchestra, etc. A songwriter or a band will often enter the studio with every option in the world. Creativity usually happens best under a self-imposed limitation.” says Stark
Another aspect of the album is its lack of effects. Aside from basic compression there is no use of reverb, distortion, delay, or any other typical sound enhancing agents.
“The album is dry. In a world where everything is very produced, I thought it felt refreshing to hear a 100% dry record. I certainly love effects and my next project may have plenty, but I enjoyed the naked sound when making this recording.” says Stark.
The album follows a loose story line, tracing the emotions of a person having a near death experience. The first song is a contemplation of death, the next is the act of dying. Then there is looking back wistfully at life followed by looking ahead with hope to what’s next. Then at the end, the character is back in his body still wondering about the future.
“Concept albums are fun, especially when they are fairly general and allow the listener to interpret,” says Stark. “I appreciate listeners very much and look forward to any ideas they might have about the album.”