Cam Butler - Save My Soul

Cinematic music deserves a film to go with it, and enlisting the help of four film makers from around the world, Cam has combined his music with the directors' visions and made an incredible multi-media event.

EP review

Cam Butler’s Save My Soul is a piece of musical excellence. Having struck out in Melbourne instrumental band Silver Rays before going solo in 2003, he’s already an established and respected member of the Australian music community.

The first track, ‘Simple Fate’, marches through dizzying highs and plunging lows, leaving the listener with a feeling that they’ve taken an epic trip somewhere.

‘I Was Lost’ slows the pace with a particular focus on the maudlin violin, sliding into detailed guitar, and with and such musical subtleties that it should be listened to more than once to fully appreciate it.

Title track ‘Save My Soul’ starts gentle and sweet, building up little by little and bringing the listener up and down with the volume and intensity of the music. The instruments are played with precision and the lesser percussion in the background of the songs only adds to the intrigue. The creep of the electric guitar and the rising of the violins in ‘Desolation’ leaves us breathless and waiting for the climax.

Visions of an empty and barren desert, or a personal journey come to mind. This is a soundtrack to life itself, and there are so many layers to the music that it could be played over and over, continually stirring up new meaning.

The strong and confronting string section in ‘Some Kind of Peace’ starts the song off with a bang, climbing up to a huge, wintry crescendo. It’s an extended track, lingering for over 10 minutes but it seems to fly by.

We can only visualise what Butler is trying to convey to us through these emotionally charged instrumentals, but whether we’re in tune with his intention or not, he certainly ignites the imagination.