Quiet Now Zenith by Riat Silaj

We typically expect time to work in a sequence of cause and effect, where the past causes the present, and events happening now bring the future into being. However, according to sound artist Riat Silaj on their new record Quiet Now Zenith, there’s significant randomness thrown into this equation, so much so that it’s extremely difficult to draw any through line across history. The album breaks down into three tracks representing the past, present, and future, splicing together vocal samples, rhythmic noise, and canned music to examine each of these time periods from as many angles as possible. Though many of the sounds and aesthetics repeat across the album, chaotic and traumatic events in the world and community get spoken about on the album in increasingly hushed tones, losing their shock value as entropy spreads like a plague, serving as the only constant force pushing time forward.