Awkward Corners

With A Book of Imaginary Beings, Chris Menist - known for his sonic alias Awkward Corners - continues his journey into the fringes of electronic and ambient groove, this time opting for a stripped-back approach that foregrounds atmosphere and narrative suggestion over overt virtuosity. Composed during January’s long nights and fraught with global unrest, the album’s fourteen tracks unfold as a series of sonic vignettes—each a sketch for a creature, moment, or place described in a yet-to-be-written book.​ The process behind the album is as integral as its product: Menist challenged himself to assemble a basic track each evening after work, then return later for refinement. This method yields an immediacy and intimacy, with melodies that feel unguarded and arrangements that leave space for the listener’s imagination. Tracks like Two Former Friends showcase a simmering synth bass and the signature Shahi Baaja, establishing a world from minimal ingredients, while Dance of the Silver Beetles features reversed Illimba samples in dialogue with conga rhythms, conjuring a quietly surreal digital folklore.​ Throughout, the record maintains a fluid minimalism—anxious pulses, gently insistent percussion, and a palette of treated traditional instruments. From the playful lines of A Leopard With No Spots to the contemplative closure of Flamingo with Bandaged Neck, each piece serves as a skeletal narrative, inviting the listener to invent the stories and lives described by the titles.