event Ridley

Stanley Elwood Minnick III plays the roles of singer-songwriter and laptop electronica doodler at once in his solo project Asperse. Minnick's graceful guitar chords and patient (if limited) vocals keep Asperse's tracks grounded in accessible territory, while his programming piles on extra layers of percussion and tasteful background static. Sometimes it all comes together in a pleasing way and sometimes it doesn't, but it always lets Minnick explore some interesting concepts: His Grief EP explores the distinct stages of grief in five tracks. Naturally, "Depression" lends itself best to this kind of project, and its gentle beats and ambience actually reflect the complicated ups and downs of that stage instead of just wallowing.