Suntrip Records: 2018
I've got a lot of goa CDs to get through, but don't think it's some sort of chore for me. Yeah, there looks to be a fair bit of repetitive material in Suntrip's catalogue, but I wouldn't have bought the whole damn discography without anticipating a few items. Names like E-Mantra, Khetzal, and Ka-Sol, who I've seen beyond the close confines of the morning trance scene. Or old vets like Prana, Astral Projection, and Ra making appearances. Even the ones I haven't a clue about, but at least have intriguing cover art beyond the usual fractal weirdness. The Merr0ws, the Radical Distortions, and the Celestial Intelligences, all with albums that get my imagination sparking. It cannot be overstated how important cover art is for us LP snobs.
So it goes when I spotted this Denshi Danshi duo among my Suntrip pile. Holy cow, a psy act with a logo! No, I'm not talking about having their name in some fancy fonts. There's structure in their art, including both Western alphabet and kanji, the latter enclosed within diamonds. It's eye-popping, it's distinctive, it's made really darn trippy with all the added fractal bullshit included in their sophomore album, Brain Chemistry.
Of course, I've been led astray by cool cover art before, especially within the psy trance scene. Still hedging my bets going into this one, but the first track, Parallel Universe, bodes well. It's clear Denshi Danshi aren't interested in fussing about with elaborate intros or pretentious concepts, strictly go-go-go full-on psy trance from the jump. Yeah, it's retro leaning with the synths and acid – wouldn't be on Suntrip if it wasn't – but that ultra compressed rhythm is strictly nu-skool. Yet what's this: a change of key and tone two-thirds through? Oh yeah, psy trance used to have multiple sections within single tracks, not just relentlessly going on the same idea for the duration. Now that's a retro notion!
Wish I could say all the tunes on Brain Chemistry do that. This is pretty much a full-on outing wrapped in goa accoutrements. And that does grow weary for a full-length, the sort of peak time party music that's wildly fun flailing under the stars but in desperate need of some variation when sitting at home with chai and malpoa. I'll grant the climax of these tracks are generally strong enough to sustain my interest, and the usual wibble that comes with full-on doesn't overstay its welcome. There's also some rather cliche stuff though, the track Sukha really laying the Indian influences on thick – I want to love that drop, but gads, its so hammy. That said, I know I'd go wild hearing it live, so there's that.
Yes, Brain Chemistry is very much a 'get out and do shit' type of album. Play it while going for a run, or a power walk, or shuffle under a bridge. Denshi Danshi make no apologies for the energy they bring, so best make proper use of it wherever you can.
Showing posts with label 2018. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2018. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Saturday, November 25, 2023
Centaspike - Bent Bound Broken
Tech Itch Recordings: 2018
Releasing albums from anonymous producers who may or may not simply be the label head in disguise is all well and good, but for any print to flourish, you need that outside blood mixing things up. Artists that share your audio vision and can also bring a different spin on the same sonic ideas. Thus it was so that Centaspike was brought into the Tech Itch Recordings fold, first as a duo with Indidjinous, then finally as a solo act with this here Bent Bound Broken.
Mr. Driver had a few self-releases under his belt prior, plying his trade for half a decade on the Aussie scene before getting picked up by Mr. Caro. Well and truly comfortable behind the console as well the decks, he'd have no problem fitting in with the Tech Itch posse. Only, what sort of d'n'b would he bring to the table? There was already plenty of dark and tech-step on hand, the assortment of releases very much following in the footsteps of Technical Itch's '90s heyday. No, to stand out, Centaspike went even darker, deeper, damn near minimalist with his debut on the label.
Seriously, opening track Beyond The Void is little more than ominous noises and feral rumbles, served as oozing black glue piecing together the various twitchy drum breaks together. But that's just track one, right? The mood setter before getting to some busier business? Yeah, no, follow-up Brokenergy is no less grimy and savage, while Conjuring Spells somehow finds an even deeper layer of murky bass festering in the dankest catacombs under London city. Cool beans and all, but I can't deny, such suffocating sounds grow a little weary when played for too long, as in the seven-minute 4th Dimensional Creatures. Let me see a little light, mang'!
Oh, a Broken Street Lamp, that'll do. Actually, this cut turned my head for two reasons. One, it gets into some slamming drumfunk action, which is a nice chance of pace, but also for the Wu-Tang chatter thrown in. In fact, Anthony pulls the trick twice, Urban Chatter raiding the skits from Enter 36 Chambers as well. How can I be so sure? C'mon, I recognize RZA's barking out for Ghost and Deck anywhere. Not to mention a little chop-socky sound effects thrown in for good measure.
After that little detour down the back alleys of Shaolin, Centaspike gets back to the down 'n' dirty business end of d'n'b, each track somehow growing ever more minimalist as the album plays out. Not that I needed some rousing climax to the record, but it does leave one's engagement slowing dwindling as momentum wanes. Then I was thrown for a loop in the Outro. Anthony not only raided 2010 for some dialogue samples that aren't “My God, it's full of stars”, but the MGM lion roar and the digital text sound effects from the movie's prologue, also while overlaying the original Requiem 'music' from 2001. Oh yeah, that definitely set off my nerdy dopamine triggers.
Releasing albums from anonymous producers who may or may not simply be the label head in disguise is all well and good, but for any print to flourish, you need that outside blood mixing things up. Artists that share your audio vision and can also bring a different spin on the same sonic ideas. Thus it was so that Centaspike was brought into the Tech Itch Recordings fold, first as a duo with Indidjinous, then finally as a solo act with this here Bent Bound Broken.
Mr. Driver had a few self-releases under his belt prior, plying his trade for half a decade on the Aussie scene before getting picked up by Mr. Caro. Well and truly comfortable behind the console as well the decks, he'd have no problem fitting in with the Tech Itch posse. Only, what sort of d'n'b would he bring to the table? There was already plenty of dark and tech-step on hand, the assortment of releases very much following in the footsteps of Technical Itch's '90s heyday. No, to stand out, Centaspike went even darker, deeper, damn near minimalist with his debut on the label.
Seriously, opening track Beyond The Void is little more than ominous noises and feral rumbles, served as oozing black glue piecing together the various twitchy drum breaks together. But that's just track one, right? The mood setter before getting to some busier business? Yeah, no, follow-up Brokenergy is no less grimy and savage, while Conjuring Spells somehow finds an even deeper layer of murky bass festering in the dankest catacombs under London city. Cool beans and all, but I can't deny, such suffocating sounds grow a little weary when played for too long, as in the seven-minute 4th Dimensional Creatures. Let me see a little light, mang'!
Oh, a Broken Street Lamp, that'll do. Actually, this cut turned my head for two reasons. One, it gets into some slamming drumfunk action, which is a nice chance of pace, but also for the Wu-Tang chatter thrown in. In fact, Anthony pulls the trick twice, Urban Chatter raiding the skits from Enter 36 Chambers as well. How can I be so sure? C'mon, I recognize RZA's barking out for Ghost and Deck anywhere. Not to mention a little chop-socky sound effects thrown in for good measure.
After that little detour down the back alleys of Shaolin, Centaspike gets back to the down 'n' dirty business end of d'n'b, each track somehow growing ever more minimalist as the album plays out. Not that I needed some rousing climax to the record, but it does leave one's engagement slowing dwindling as momentum wanes. Then I was thrown for a loop in the Outro. Anthony not only raided 2010 for some dialogue samples that aren't “My God, it's full of stars”, but the MGM lion roar and the digital text sound effects from the movie's prologue, also while overlaying the original Requiem 'music' from 2001. Oh yeah, that definitely set off my nerdy dopamine triggers.
Friday, October 13, 2023
Moss Covered Technology - And His Many Seas
Facture: 2018
Of all Greig Baird's album, this one immediately caught my eye. I'll never tire of nautical themed music, whether they be ambient drone or Viking metal, so this was a shoe-in for yours truly. More than that though, I've always envisioned my destiny to be like the chap we see on the cover art, living out my greying days as an old man by the sea. Not that I'm a man of the sea, mind you, though if I could have any job in history, a cartographer from the Exploration Age certainly ranks high up there. For now, I'll suffice living by the sea, gazing wistfully at waves washing upon the shore, and all that chum rot.
While Greig's inspiration for this album had more to do with navigating his stormy feelings over a father's illness, the label that initially picked this up didn't hold back in running with the nautical allegory. Indeed, part of Facture's manifesto is loading their releases up with all manner of vintage swag and paraphernalia, such that it feels like you're unlocking some Victorian Era time capsule. I'm talking post cards, cloth-bound books, weathered prints, celluloid negatives, glass slides, film reel strips... just an insane amount of detail and craftsmanship goes into these. Naturally, they're also a bit pricey, and almost immediately sell out what limited stock they manufacture. Man, good thing I'm no longer so beholden to FOMO of these sort of releases, right? *twitch, twitch*
As with Sodium Light, where I took my Moss Covered Technology plunge, And His Many Seas simply titles each track Sea (his 'many seas', see? Sorry, had to...). For a body of music that supposedly has some narrative to it, Greig doesn't provide many hints of what each piece means. Maybe there were more guiding suggestions as part of the whole Facture package, and you can regardless glean particular feelings and emotions from the eight Seas within. If you need your ambient music more specific of intent, however, this may not be the album for you.
As for the sort of ambience MCT does offer, I found it a surprisingly varied assortment. The first couple were about as I expected, Sea #1 featuring layered, sweeping drones, while Sea #2 goes more dusty and crackly with its delicate organ tones. Neither are terribly long, so just as well Sea #4 brings us the album's centrepiece at eleven minutes. At first quiet and gentle, drones gradually build upon themselves, growing richly dense, but never overwhelming. Sea #5 is almost bright and cheery as a follow-up, and a modern classical sort of way, while the remaining pieces has me reminded of Archives' brand of dubby ambient. Not a bad comparison to make at all.
Can't deny I'm letting some personal bias cloud my enjoyment of And His Many Seas. Such music playing in my head as I rock in an old chair, porch facing west across the ocean, a stiff salty breeze bristling through long, white whiskers upon my cheek.
Of all Greig Baird's album, this one immediately caught my eye. I'll never tire of nautical themed music, whether they be ambient drone or Viking metal, so this was a shoe-in for yours truly. More than that though, I've always envisioned my destiny to be like the chap we see on the cover art, living out my greying days as an old man by the sea. Not that I'm a man of the sea, mind you, though if I could have any job in history, a cartographer from the Exploration Age certainly ranks high up there. For now, I'll suffice living by the sea, gazing wistfully at waves washing upon the shore, and all that chum rot.
While Greig's inspiration for this album had more to do with navigating his stormy feelings over a father's illness, the label that initially picked this up didn't hold back in running with the nautical allegory. Indeed, part of Facture's manifesto is loading their releases up with all manner of vintage swag and paraphernalia, such that it feels like you're unlocking some Victorian Era time capsule. I'm talking post cards, cloth-bound books, weathered prints, celluloid negatives, glass slides, film reel strips... just an insane amount of detail and craftsmanship goes into these. Naturally, they're also a bit pricey, and almost immediately sell out what limited stock they manufacture. Man, good thing I'm no longer so beholden to FOMO of these sort of releases, right? *twitch, twitch*
As with Sodium Light, where I took my Moss Covered Technology plunge, And His Many Seas simply titles each track Sea (his 'many seas', see? Sorry, had to...). For a body of music that supposedly has some narrative to it, Greig doesn't provide many hints of what each piece means. Maybe there were more guiding suggestions as part of the whole Facture package, and you can regardless glean particular feelings and emotions from the eight Seas within. If you need your ambient music more specific of intent, however, this may not be the album for you.
As for the sort of ambience MCT does offer, I found it a surprisingly varied assortment. The first couple were about as I expected, Sea #1 featuring layered, sweeping drones, while Sea #2 goes more dusty and crackly with its delicate organ tones. Neither are terribly long, so just as well Sea #4 brings us the album's centrepiece at eleven minutes. At first quiet and gentle, drones gradually build upon themselves, growing richly dense, but never overwhelming. Sea #5 is almost bright and cheery as a follow-up, and a modern classical sort of way, while the remaining pieces has me reminded of Archives' brand of dubby ambient. Not a bad comparison to make at all.
Can't deny I'm letting some personal bias cloud my enjoyment of And His Many Seas. Such music playing in my head as I rock in an old chair, porch facing west across the ocean, a stiff salty breeze bristling through long, white whiskers upon my cheek.
Tuesday, October 3, 2023
Neotropic - The Absolute Elsewhere
Slowcraft Records: 2018
No, really, I've been meaning to return to Neotropic for a while. Things just slip by, and before you know it, nearly a decade has passed before the opportunity arises again. In this case, it was by way of James Murray's Slowcraft Records and spotting Ms. Maslen's alias among the label's catalogue. “Oh yeah!” says I, “It's been an age since I reviewed Mr. Brubakers Strawberry Alarm Clock. I didn't even know she was still active. How remiss of me.”
Actually, I have heard her sporadically since then, though I didn't realize it. Turns out she's been a frequent collaborator with The Future Sound Of London, most recently contributing some vocals on Environment Five (aka: the one with the power line towers on the cover). They also apparently sampled her on Yage, plus on the song Osho from The Isness. And if that wasn't crazy enough, I just discovered she performed with the FSOL lads on Top Of The Pops, when Papua New Guinea got tapped for a spot on the show. I guess Lisa Gerrard wasn't available.
Actually-actually, this may not be as odd a thing as you'd think, as it turns out Riz Maslen has some serious modern classical, operatic chops in her as well. Right, they may have always been there, I just never came across them when she was mostly producing way-leftfield trip-hop. Going by this album though, it's certainly a field she's more than adept at.
Opener Overture signals the oncoming herald of doom (or something), all moody atmosphere as the horns of war emerging from the hills. Okay, I may be overselling this a little, but it cannot be denied it's an effective piece of music setting a particular tone. Bring on the battle! Oh, wait, it's already over in Your War, a sombre dirge of piano, strings, and Riz' angelic voice (an angel of death, that is!). If you thought this piece was grim, it's got nothing on the desolation of follow-up Wreckage Of Dreams. You know the FSOL track Everything In The World Is Doing Something Without Me? Yeah, like that.
It's not all morose vibes in this album though. The ethereal Byzantium, while sombre in its own right, at least feels like there's some hope on the horizon. Elsewhere, Pleiades is the sort of piece that could use with a Cate Blanchett narration over top, while The Restless gets downright meditative with its low thrum of chants and instrumentation. Then there's Nyolat, the lone proper nod to electronic music with sludgy industrial rhythm as Riz gets her operatic on. Huh, I honestly get more dark ambient Delerium vibes off that one than anything FSOL. Not that Bill and Rhys never got 'inspiration' from Brian and Garry on multiple occasions.
At seven tracks long, The Absolute Elsewhere is rather short, but nor is it the sort of album that needs to be longer than it is. I don't think I could indulge in such melodramatic depression any longer as it is.
No, really, I've been meaning to return to Neotropic for a while. Things just slip by, and before you know it, nearly a decade has passed before the opportunity arises again. In this case, it was by way of James Murray's Slowcraft Records and spotting Ms. Maslen's alias among the label's catalogue. “Oh yeah!” says I, “It's been an age since I reviewed Mr. Brubakers Strawberry Alarm Clock. I didn't even know she was still active. How remiss of me.”
Actually, I have heard her sporadically since then, though I didn't realize it. Turns out she's been a frequent collaborator with The Future Sound Of London, most recently contributing some vocals on Environment Five (aka: the one with the power line towers on the cover). They also apparently sampled her on Yage, plus on the song Osho from The Isness. And if that wasn't crazy enough, I just discovered she performed with the FSOL lads on Top Of The Pops, when Papua New Guinea got tapped for a spot on the show. I guess Lisa Gerrard wasn't available.
Actually-actually, this may not be as odd a thing as you'd think, as it turns out Riz Maslen has some serious modern classical, operatic chops in her as well. Right, they may have always been there, I just never came across them when she was mostly producing way-leftfield trip-hop. Going by this album though, it's certainly a field she's more than adept at.
Opener Overture signals the oncoming herald of doom (or something), all moody atmosphere as the horns of war emerging from the hills. Okay, I may be overselling this a little, but it cannot be denied it's an effective piece of music setting a particular tone. Bring on the battle! Oh, wait, it's already over in Your War, a sombre dirge of piano, strings, and Riz' angelic voice (an angel of death, that is!). If you thought this piece was grim, it's got nothing on the desolation of follow-up Wreckage Of Dreams. You know the FSOL track Everything In The World Is Doing Something Without Me? Yeah, like that.
It's not all morose vibes in this album though. The ethereal Byzantium, while sombre in its own right, at least feels like there's some hope on the horizon. Elsewhere, Pleiades is the sort of piece that could use with a Cate Blanchett narration over top, while The Restless gets downright meditative with its low thrum of chants and instrumentation. Then there's Nyolat, the lone proper nod to electronic music with sludgy industrial rhythm as Riz gets her operatic on. Huh, I honestly get more dark ambient Delerium vibes off that one than anything FSOL. Not that Bill and Rhys never got 'inspiration' from Brian and Garry on multiple occasions.
At seven tracks long, The Absolute Elsewhere is rather short, but nor is it the sort of album that needs to be longer than it is. I don't think I could indulge in such melodramatic depression any longer as it is.
Monday, September 11, 2023
Various - The 50th Parallel
Suntrip Records: 2018
This is what I mean. Time skip a decade later, many releases between, now the quality of retro-leaning goa and psy trance coming out of Suntrip Records is much improved over what was heard on Ra's 9th. And their album wasn't even bad! It just felt a tad safe and mild compared to what I knew what was coming down the line. So it goes when indulging a label catalogue in non-chronological order. Sometimes the older stuff just can't hold a candle to the newer stuff. Then again, same can be said the other way around, but I cheated a little, splurging on Suntrip because I heard a couple newer releases first. Their ol' school rep' just helped sell the impulse buy.
By logical standards, I should be reviewing The 50th Parallel after having reviewed fifty of Suntrip's releases, but I don't do things that way. Instead, alphabetical standards decrees I must review this anniversary compilation super early into this discography dive. Yes indeed, this double-CD set marks the fiftieth outing for the little neo-goa trance label that could, no small feat considering how ultra-niche their sound is in the new millennium. Never mind folks hearing it always enjoy it, goa trance simply doesn't get the same broad recognition as popular full-on psy or trendy prog-psy does. As for why The 50th Parallel, I'm assuming it's referencing where Suntrip Records' head office reside in Belgium. And is just one parallel north of where I live, incidentally. Ah, the good ol' 49th, forever dividing Canadians and Americans across vast swaths of mountain and prairie.
As befitting a milestone release, all the Suntrip heavy-hitters are on hand for the party. Khetzal is here! Ka-Sol is here! Clementz is here! Cosmic Dimension is here! Cosmic Serpent is here! Uh, Crossing Mind is here. So is Hada, Triquetra, Morphic Resonance, Battle Of The Future Buddhas... Okay, I can't front – I have no idea if these are the A-listers of the label or not. Like, I know for certain Khetzal is, as his Corolle album put the label on the map. And I know Clementz because I reviewed his album last year. Ka-Sol I recognize more for the unique artwork of Fairytale than anything else. The rest though? Not a got'dang clue. Guess I'll find out in the coming year!
As or the music, eight tracks make up each disc, the first designated Sun (re: goa trance), the other Moon (re: psy trance). And, um, that's kinda' about it, if I'm honest. Whatever sound you associate with those genres, these CDs offer them in spades. Soaring melodies with a slightly Indian tonal scale? Sure thing. Twisty acid tear-outs with peppy rhythms? Yep, that too. I rather like the ones that dip close to vintage Juno Reactor waters, but that may be recency bias, having just re-listened to some of their early albums again. Regardless, The 50th Parallel is '90s as fuck, but it wouldn't be a Suntrip Records collection if it wasn't, right?
This is what I mean. Time skip a decade later, many releases between, now the quality of retro-leaning goa and psy trance coming out of Suntrip Records is much improved over what was heard on Ra's 9th. And their album wasn't even bad! It just felt a tad safe and mild compared to what I knew what was coming down the line. So it goes when indulging a label catalogue in non-chronological order. Sometimes the older stuff just can't hold a candle to the newer stuff. Then again, same can be said the other way around, but I cheated a little, splurging on Suntrip because I heard a couple newer releases first. Their ol' school rep' just helped sell the impulse buy.
By logical standards, I should be reviewing The 50th Parallel after having reviewed fifty of Suntrip's releases, but I don't do things that way. Instead, alphabetical standards decrees I must review this anniversary compilation super early into this discography dive. Yes indeed, this double-CD set marks the fiftieth outing for the little neo-goa trance label that could, no small feat considering how ultra-niche their sound is in the new millennium. Never mind folks hearing it always enjoy it, goa trance simply doesn't get the same broad recognition as popular full-on psy or trendy prog-psy does. As for why The 50th Parallel, I'm assuming it's referencing where Suntrip Records' head office reside in Belgium. And is just one parallel north of where I live, incidentally. Ah, the good ol' 49th, forever dividing Canadians and Americans across vast swaths of mountain and prairie.
As befitting a milestone release, all the Suntrip heavy-hitters are on hand for the party. Khetzal is here! Ka-Sol is here! Clementz is here! Cosmic Dimension is here! Cosmic Serpent is here! Uh, Crossing Mind is here. So is Hada, Triquetra, Morphic Resonance, Battle Of The Future Buddhas... Okay, I can't front – I have no idea if these are the A-listers of the label or not. Like, I know for certain Khetzal is, as his Corolle album put the label on the map. And I know Clementz because I reviewed his album last year. Ka-Sol I recognize more for the unique artwork of Fairytale than anything else. The rest though? Not a got'dang clue. Guess I'll find out in the coming year!
As or the music, eight tracks make up each disc, the first designated Sun (re: goa trance), the other Moon (re: psy trance). And, um, that's kinda' about it, if I'm honest. Whatever sound you associate with those genres, these CDs offer them in spades. Soaring melodies with a slightly Indian tonal scale? Sure thing. Twisty acid tear-outs with peppy rhythms? Yep, that too. I rather like the ones that dip close to vintage Juno Reactor waters, but that may be recency bias, having just re-listened to some of their early albums again. Regardless, The 50th Parallel is '90s as fuck, but it wouldn't be a Suntrip Records collection if it wasn't, right?
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Yaghan - Yaghan's Land E.P
Liquid Frog Records: 2018
Before you ask, yes, this is titled Yaghan's Land from 'Yaghan', and yes, this is still the same Juan Pablo Giacovino project that would immediately after be referred to as Yahgan. And no, this isn't some weird typo or misprint on his part. Truth is the two had been interchangeable for centuries, with many other variants floating about in that time, depending on era and European interpretation. So it goes with Native American peoples, even ones living in as remote a region of the global south as one can get without crossing into Antarctica. If you want to be respectful and proper-like with their lineage, however, Yahgan is the correct name for history's southernmost mini-civ'. I'm guessing when Juan Pablo launched this side-project, 'Yaghan' was the version he was most familiar with, then promptly switched to the traditional 'Yahgan' after digging a little deeper into the subject. And since The Internet never forgets, just kept the original EP name and title as-was. 'Tis fine, really it is.
As for how early into Mr. Giacovino's catalogue this came out, Yaghan's Land came out quite early indeed. Bandcamp chronology dates this just after Wave Bio Collector, and since this was another release of his I had to submit to Lord Discogs' archives (that whole 'Yaghan / Yahgan' thing is gonna' be a doozy for moderators, no doubt), I have to assume it was self-released. Or maybe it came out on some ultra-obscure netlabel with, like, three releases on it? I'm getting way too deep into the weeds of these details! Somehow seems appropriate given how many of his N:L:E albums focus on micro-fauna.
Anyhow, the EP opens with a titular track, lasting a mere three minutes long. Okay, that may seem long if this was any other dance music genre EP, but as this is a pure ambient piece with cystaline synths and wind-swept atmosphere, you'd think more time would be spent settling us into the frigid Yahgan climate. It's also quite grandiose compared to the rest of the EP, follow-up Travelling a far more subtle affair. There's still that sense of being out on the frontier, but remote and isolated. Soft rhythmic patters and melodic pulses gradually emerge as singular synth strings ebb and flow in support, but never reach a rousing crescendo, keeping things on the calm and tranquil, even if a little epic vibe is implied towards the end.
On the other end of the EP are two parts of Rupture In The Echo, totally some twenty-three minutes of playtime. The first is also a mostly ambient affair, the softest pitter-patter offered as a sporadic rhythm. Simple synth drones and distant waves make up the bulk of this piece, a remarkably soothing journey of minimalist tones. In case you need a little more pep in your tunes though, Part 2 brings in actual ambient techno beat to the fray, dubby effects thrown on for flair. Cool, but I rather prefer the beatless option. Makes for nice dozing music.
Before you ask, yes, this is titled Yaghan's Land from 'Yaghan', and yes, this is still the same Juan Pablo Giacovino project that would immediately after be referred to as Yahgan. And no, this isn't some weird typo or misprint on his part. Truth is the two had been interchangeable for centuries, with many other variants floating about in that time, depending on era and European interpretation. So it goes with Native American peoples, even ones living in as remote a region of the global south as one can get without crossing into Antarctica. If you want to be respectful and proper-like with their lineage, however, Yahgan is the correct name for history's southernmost mini-civ'. I'm guessing when Juan Pablo launched this side-project, 'Yaghan' was the version he was most familiar with, then promptly switched to the traditional 'Yahgan' after digging a little deeper into the subject. And since The Internet never forgets, just kept the original EP name and title as-was. 'Tis fine, really it is.
As for how early into Mr. Giacovino's catalogue this came out, Yaghan's Land came out quite early indeed. Bandcamp chronology dates this just after Wave Bio Collector, and since this was another release of his I had to submit to Lord Discogs' archives (that whole 'Yaghan / Yahgan' thing is gonna' be a doozy for moderators, no doubt), I have to assume it was self-released. Or maybe it came out on some ultra-obscure netlabel with, like, three releases on it? I'm getting way too deep into the weeds of these details! Somehow seems appropriate given how many of his N:L:E albums focus on micro-fauna.
Anyhow, the EP opens with a titular track, lasting a mere three minutes long. Okay, that may seem long if this was any other dance music genre EP, but as this is a pure ambient piece with cystaline synths and wind-swept atmosphere, you'd think more time would be spent settling us into the frigid Yahgan climate. It's also quite grandiose compared to the rest of the EP, follow-up Travelling a far more subtle affair. There's still that sense of being out on the frontier, but remote and isolated. Soft rhythmic patters and melodic pulses gradually emerge as singular synth strings ebb and flow in support, but never reach a rousing crescendo, keeping things on the calm and tranquil, even if a little epic vibe is implied towards the end.
On the other end of the EP are two parts of Rupture In The Echo, totally some twenty-three minutes of playtime. The first is also a mostly ambient affair, the softest pitter-patter offered as a sporadic rhythm. Simple synth drones and distant waves make up the bulk of this piece, a remarkably soothing journey of minimalist tones. In case you need a little more pep in your tunes though, Part 2 brings in actual ambient techno beat to the fray, dubby effects thrown on for flair. Cool, but I rather prefer the beatless option. Makes for nice dozing music.
Wednesday, June 21, 2023
faru - Utasava
Carpe Sonum Novum: 2018/2022
I'm really getting into some 'off the grid' music lately. What can I say? When a bit of cover art strikes my fancy, followed by sound samples that scintillate my stapes, I'm an easy sucker. This one I found particularly striking in that the sepia photo reminded me of Ultimae Records, yet the music within most decidedly did not. Nor did it sound like much of anything I've yet heard on Carpe Sonum. Neither label has ever gone quite so... world beaty.
Turns out that was something of a departure for Fabian Ruf as well, most of his musical compositions hanging out in the ambient drone category I've indulged plenty of over the years. Okay, he hasn't released a robust discography yet, his Bandcamp page only offering a handful of titles to his faru moniker, but one of those includes a Silent Season EP (Through Darkness Comes Light), so making significant inroads quite early on. From the looks of things, this Utasava is his first physical roll-out, Carpe Sonum Novum offering up a CD option for this album. And as mentioned, quite the turn away from the sort of Archives-styled ambient he was making to that point. Sometimes though, a vacation in a foreign land does wonders for one's inspiration. Having a recording microphone on hand capturing all those unique sounds doesn't hurt either.
And wander through a new realm he done did, opener Walk To Sri Pada almost entirely field recordings, folk and fauna busying themselves all around you, save a singular sitar tone and drumming guiding us along. The sounds of the street are so acute, I actually feel like those darn crows are dive bombing me! No, wait, that's those darn crows on my regular morning jaunts – the track is just giving me PTSD hearing their angry caws pan from right to left.
Regardless, the real highlight of this album is second track The Sacred Mountain, a near twenty-minute excursion into deep meditation as a temple monk sings through all manner of industrial distortion. I've seen this piece compared to Alio Die or Popol Vul, though as always my reference point remains Rapoon. It does eventually morph into more traditional ambient, but man, hearing those effects on this man's voice is some other-wordly vibes. It also kinda' makes the rest of Utasava come off rather tame and safe in comparison.
Not that there's anything wrong with tracks like Indian Ocean, Makar Sankrati and Along The Coast, it's just world beat and ambient dub paths well travelled since the days of Loop Guru. Meanwhile, the glitchy psy-dub of Mirissa and industrial techno of Summre Rain (!!) throw such a left turn on Utasava, you'll be forgiven for thinking you've somehow stumbled into an entirely different album. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the diversity. It's just bizarre going through such an intense meditative journey with The Sacred Journey, only to have gabber beats thumping some twenty-five minutes later. Well, unless you're Rapoon, I guess.
I'm really getting into some 'off the grid' music lately. What can I say? When a bit of cover art strikes my fancy, followed by sound samples that scintillate my stapes, I'm an easy sucker. This one I found particularly striking in that the sepia photo reminded me of Ultimae Records, yet the music within most decidedly did not. Nor did it sound like much of anything I've yet heard on Carpe Sonum. Neither label has ever gone quite so... world beaty.
Turns out that was something of a departure for Fabian Ruf as well, most of his musical compositions hanging out in the ambient drone category I've indulged plenty of over the years. Okay, he hasn't released a robust discography yet, his Bandcamp page only offering a handful of titles to his faru moniker, but one of those includes a Silent Season EP (Through Darkness Comes Light), so making significant inroads quite early on. From the looks of things, this Utasava is his first physical roll-out, Carpe Sonum Novum offering up a CD option for this album. And as mentioned, quite the turn away from the sort of Archives-styled ambient he was making to that point. Sometimes though, a vacation in a foreign land does wonders for one's inspiration. Having a recording microphone on hand capturing all those unique sounds doesn't hurt either.
And wander through a new realm he done did, opener Walk To Sri Pada almost entirely field recordings, folk and fauna busying themselves all around you, save a singular sitar tone and drumming guiding us along. The sounds of the street are so acute, I actually feel like those darn crows are dive bombing me! No, wait, that's those darn crows on my regular morning jaunts – the track is just giving me PTSD hearing their angry caws pan from right to left.
Regardless, the real highlight of this album is second track The Sacred Mountain, a near twenty-minute excursion into deep meditation as a temple monk sings through all manner of industrial distortion. I've seen this piece compared to Alio Die or Popol Vul, though as always my reference point remains Rapoon. It does eventually morph into more traditional ambient, but man, hearing those effects on this man's voice is some other-wordly vibes. It also kinda' makes the rest of Utasava come off rather tame and safe in comparison.
Not that there's anything wrong with tracks like Indian Ocean, Makar Sankrati and Along The Coast, it's just world beat and ambient dub paths well travelled since the days of Loop Guru. Meanwhile, the glitchy psy-dub of Mirissa and industrial techno of Summre Rain (!!) throw such a left turn on Utasava, you'll be forgiven for thinking you've somehow stumbled into an entirely different album. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the diversity. It's just bizarre going through such an intense meditative journey with The Sacred Journey, only to have gabber beats thumping some twenty-five minutes later. Well, unless you're Rapoon, I guess.
Monday, May 22, 2023
ASC - Trans-Neptunian Objects 2
Auxiliary: 2018
James Clements taking his ambient explorations to the furthest reaches of our solar system? Hell, I'm sold! Let's follow that link to wherever the CD can be bought and it's already sold out. Okay, that's on me, rather tardy in getting 'round to nabbing a copy of Trans-Neptunian Objects. Ain't no way I'm missing out on a second edition of this concept series! Maybe I'll get fortunate though, and James will re-issue the first sometime down the line. Hey, he's been offering vinyl editions of his Silent Season albums this past year, so it could happen!
Anyhow, Trans-Neptunian Objects 2 doesn't waste any time letting you know the sort of outing you're in for. Opening track, Varuna (named after a Hindu deity; one of the more prominent bodies discovered in the early days of Kuiper Belt explorations) sounds appropriately desolate and remote, distantly echoing sounds skittering about as a deep space ambience settles in. Layers of drone build in intensity, bringing a sense of awe to the atmosphere, but we're still in the coldest reaches of our solar system, our sonic vista frigid and uninviting despite the subtle glisten of feeble sunlight upon icy bodies.
As if that wasn't enough, second track Huya (named after the rain god Juyá of the Wayuu people; has its own moon) is even more desolate, about as pure a piece of dark ambient drone as you're likely to hear this side of a Silent Universe outing. Deucalion (named after the son of Prometheus; part of the 'cold population') seems to start in similar fashion, but soon comes forth with a more prominent lead of melodic grandeur. It's still all presented in a dark ambient sort of way, the Kuiper Belt forever an uninviting place in Mr. Clements' view. Sometimes though, you have to sit back in your cryopod and respectably take in the impossible remoteness of your surroundings.
Which is just as well, since Typhon (named after one of Zeus' cosmic foes, possibly buried under Mt. Etna; is a binary 'centaur' object) is more melancholic compared to the preceding tracks. In fact, the layers of dubby drone James uses here reminds me more of ASC's Silent Season albums compared to the pure space drone I've heard thus far on Trans-Neptunian Objects 2. Same can be said for Varda (named after the queen of the Valar – that's Tolkien, folks; guess astronomers ran out of names from antiquity lore), but not so much the remaining two tracks.
The bleepy sounds of Mors-Somnus (named after twin Roman gods; likely a merged binary) had me initially thinking something from Fax+, but the ominous, eerie mood quickly brought it back to the realms of dark ambient. Rather cinematic, in fact, while Chaos (oh, c'mon! Naming any moving object in our solar system that is just asking for trouble) has a steady pulsing throb, the sort of rhythm I'd expect out of a Sabled Sun joint. And now I want ASC to somehow appear on Cryo Chamber.
James Clements taking his ambient explorations to the furthest reaches of our solar system? Hell, I'm sold! Let's follow that link to wherever the CD can be bought and it's already sold out. Okay, that's on me, rather tardy in getting 'round to nabbing a copy of Trans-Neptunian Objects. Ain't no way I'm missing out on a second edition of this concept series! Maybe I'll get fortunate though, and James will re-issue the first sometime down the line. Hey, he's been offering vinyl editions of his Silent Season albums this past year, so it could happen!
Anyhow, Trans-Neptunian Objects 2 doesn't waste any time letting you know the sort of outing you're in for. Opening track, Varuna (named after a Hindu deity; one of the more prominent bodies discovered in the early days of Kuiper Belt explorations) sounds appropriately desolate and remote, distantly echoing sounds skittering about as a deep space ambience settles in. Layers of drone build in intensity, bringing a sense of awe to the atmosphere, but we're still in the coldest reaches of our solar system, our sonic vista frigid and uninviting despite the subtle glisten of feeble sunlight upon icy bodies.
As if that wasn't enough, second track Huya (named after the rain god Juyá of the Wayuu people; has its own moon) is even more desolate, about as pure a piece of dark ambient drone as you're likely to hear this side of a Silent Universe outing. Deucalion (named after the son of Prometheus; part of the 'cold population') seems to start in similar fashion, but soon comes forth with a more prominent lead of melodic grandeur. It's still all presented in a dark ambient sort of way, the Kuiper Belt forever an uninviting place in Mr. Clements' view. Sometimes though, you have to sit back in your cryopod and respectably take in the impossible remoteness of your surroundings.
Which is just as well, since Typhon (named after one of Zeus' cosmic foes, possibly buried under Mt. Etna; is a binary 'centaur' object) is more melancholic compared to the preceding tracks. In fact, the layers of dubby drone James uses here reminds me more of ASC's Silent Season albums compared to the pure space drone I've heard thus far on Trans-Neptunian Objects 2. Same can be said for Varda (named after the queen of the Valar – that's Tolkien, folks; guess astronomers ran out of names from antiquity lore), but not so much the remaining two tracks.
The bleepy sounds of Mors-Somnus (named after twin Roman gods; likely a merged binary) had me initially thinking something from Fax+, but the ominous, eerie mood quickly brought it back to the realms of dark ambient. Rather cinematic, in fact, while Chaos (oh, c'mon! Naming any moving object in our solar system that is just asking for trouble) has a steady pulsing throb, the sort of rhythm I'd expect out of a Sabled Sun joint. And now I want ASC to somehow appear on Cryo Chamber.
Monday, April 3, 2023
ILUITEQ - Soundtracks For Winter Departures
...txt: 2018
You know how some cover art just speaks to you, recalling moments experienced over and over again? Glancing at this grayscale image and thinking, “Yeah, I've driven that highway.” It's apparently somewhere in Norway, but given how similar the country's coastline mimics mine, you bet your bottom kroner I get all the nostalgia feels from it. So many drives surrounded by misty mountains, looming over your sense of being as you cruise by dense, northern rainforest foliage, just so many... Soundtracks For Winter Departures certainly was high on my 'must get' list of ...txt releases, whenever I perchance'd a purchase there again, which happened sometime around 'pandemic time'. Yep, it's taken me this long to get to it.
In fact, given the name of this project, I initially thought it some producer based out of British Columbia. It certainly sounds like a word that may have come from one of the original languages that dotted the region: Tsimshian, Gitxsan, or maybe one of the smaller ones, like Haida or Kwakiutl. But nay, ILUITEQ comes from a pair of Italians, Sergio Calzoni and Andrea Bellucci. No, not the blind opera singer, that's Andrea Bocelli. Big difference there, my anglophonic friends. Believe me, as an individual with an Italian last name that's seen centuries of variants (since the days of Odysseus!), those two couldn't be further apart in pronunciation.
Anyhow, Andrea Bellucci has been active for some time now, making sporadic records of various genres since the mid-'90s. He had a little success with techno as Red Sector A, which he dusted off for a 2014 record on Italian ambient label Silentes. I'm assuming this is how he fell into the orbit of Mr. Calzoni, who was starting his own ambient explorations as Orghanon at the time. A few years later, the two teamed up to formed ILUITEQ, releasing this here Soundtracks For Winter Departures, where they've maintained a tidy pace of album output ever since.
As befitting an album with such a title and cover art, Misters Bellucci and Calzoni make contemplative, moody ambient music, with melancholic tones and reflective drones. Some pieces even dip into more modern classical territory, such as the strings of In Every Place and piano of Springtime Return, but by and large, we're dealing with traditional synth pads ebbing and flowing throughout each composition. Subtle glitch effects add a bit of spice to each track, and nothing lasts longer than six minutes in length. It don't do much more than what you'd expect, but it do it quite nicely while it do it.
And that kinda' leaves me a bit underwhelmed, if I'm honest. My expectations for ambient music is such that when a pair of competent composers provide a perfectly adequate collection of rainy day drone pieces, I'm left with little else to write about it. I like Soundtracks For Winter Departures as it plays, but were it not for the nostalgia triggering cover art, I wouldn't be able to ID it out of my ambient pile either.
You know how some cover art just speaks to you, recalling moments experienced over and over again? Glancing at this grayscale image and thinking, “Yeah, I've driven that highway.” It's apparently somewhere in Norway, but given how similar the country's coastline mimics mine, you bet your bottom kroner I get all the nostalgia feels from it. So many drives surrounded by misty mountains, looming over your sense of being as you cruise by dense, northern rainforest foliage, just so many... Soundtracks For Winter Departures certainly was high on my 'must get' list of ...txt releases, whenever I perchance'd a purchase there again, which happened sometime around 'pandemic time'. Yep, it's taken me this long to get to it.
In fact, given the name of this project, I initially thought it some producer based out of British Columbia. It certainly sounds like a word that may have come from one of the original languages that dotted the region: Tsimshian, Gitxsan, or maybe one of the smaller ones, like Haida or Kwakiutl. But nay, ILUITEQ comes from a pair of Italians, Sergio Calzoni and Andrea Bellucci. No, not the blind opera singer, that's Andrea Bocelli. Big difference there, my anglophonic friends. Believe me, as an individual with an Italian last name that's seen centuries of variants (since the days of Odysseus!), those two couldn't be further apart in pronunciation.
Anyhow, Andrea Bellucci has been active for some time now, making sporadic records of various genres since the mid-'90s. He had a little success with techno as Red Sector A, which he dusted off for a 2014 record on Italian ambient label Silentes. I'm assuming this is how he fell into the orbit of Mr. Calzoni, who was starting his own ambient explorations as Orghanon at the time. A few years later, the two teamed up to formed ILUITEQ, releasing this here Soundtracks For Winter Departures, where they've maintained a tidy pace of album output ever since.
As befitting an album with such a title and cover art, Misters Bellucci and Calzoni make contemplative, moody ambient music, with melancholic tones and reflective drones. Some pieces even dip into more modern classical territory, such as the strings of In Every Place and piano of Springtime Return, but by and large, we're dealing with traditional synth pads ebbing and flowing throughout each composition. Subtle glitch effects add a bit of spice to each track, and nothing lasts longer than six minutes in length. It don't do much more than what you'd expect, but it do it quite nicely while it do it.
And that kinda' leaves me a bit underwhelmed, if I'm honest. My expectations for ambient music is such that when a pair of competent composers provide a perfectly adequate collection of rainy day drone pieces, I'm left with little else to write about it. I like Soundtracks For Winter Departures as it plays, but were it not for the nostalgia triggering cover art, I wouldn't be able to ID it out of my ambient pile either.
Thursday, March 16, 2023
Alpha Wave Movement - Somnus
Harmonic Resonance Recordings: 2018
It's been a long while since I've talked up anything regarding Gregory Kyryluk, if for no better reason than he hasn't been on my radar much. The ambient scene is so utterly filled with prolific artists that many simply slip by the periphery of my attention, even with a few chance crossings over the years. My scene explorations only take me down a few specific roads, the natural paths made when stumbling upon producers and labels via Discogs links and Bandcamp suggestions. It's, like, scary, straying off the path you've made for yourself, lured in by the lights flickering elsewhere, drawing you away from the familiar.
As Alpha Wave Movement, I haven't happened upon Mr. Kyryluk's music, as he's mostly self-released material through his own Harmonic Resonance Recordings. He did offer a few albums to Anodize, a couple of which were under the guise of Within Reason. If that name sounds familiar, it's because it appeared on that gargantuan, elephantine Pete Namlook tribute box-set Die Welt Ist Klang. Yep, even though it's nearly a decade old now, I'm still name-dropping that release.
The most prominent release I've heard from Gregory, however, is one I actually have, Nomadic Impressions as Open Canvas on Waveform Records. If that's drawing a blank, don't worry, it's been even longer since I reviewed it. In fact, I wonder if Mr. Kyryluk is even aware I did? He never made mention of it when he approached me to review this item for him. So it goes sometimes. Oh, right, I've a review to do!
So Alpha Wave Movement. As mentioned, this is Gregory's most prolific alias, currently up to thirty albums in just as many years. With titles like Cosmology, A Distant Signal, Architexture Of Silence, and Yasumu, it's quite clear the more meditative, New Age side of ambient is his main foray, with some explorations of cosmic Berlin-School thrown in for good measure. Like, when you've released in the excess of thirty-plus albums over your career, there's plenty of opportunities to explore the various facets of a chosen genre.
With a title of Somnus, the intention is clear: music for relaxation, drifting synapses, and serenading songs sending you to slumberland. No, not the Waveform compilation Slumberland ...though these pieces could have easily fit snug on those too. As this is very calm, droning ambient music, there's little for me to actually detail, but hey, if I've gone this far with all those Lucette Bourdin albums, I'm sure there's something here too.
Sonaoran Silence features deep pads before gently morphing into flowing harmonies. Be Here Now goes more tranquil with gentle, spritely synths and babbling brooks. Bioelectric Traces brings a sense of angelic astral planing into focus. Transient Molecules and Patterns Of Fragility are more minimalist compared to the rest, while Ting-Sha, with its sparse bell tones and sustained drone, is mysterious and, dare I say, ominous. Oh dear, there had to be that one track bringing to mind night terrors, didn't there.
It's been a long while since I've talked up anything regarding Gregory Kyryluk, if for no better reason than he hasn't been on my radar much. The ambient scene is so utterly filled with prolific artists that many simply slip by the periphery of my attention, even with a few chance crossings over the years. My scene explorations only take me down a few specific roads, the natural paths made when stumbling upon producers and labels via Discogs links and Bandcamp suggestions. It's, like, scary, straying off the path you've made for yourself, lured in by the lights flickering elsewhere, drawing you away from the familiar.
As Alpha Wave Movement, I haven't happened upon Mr. Kyryluk's music, as he's mostly self-released material through his own Harmonic Resonance Recordings. He did offer a few albums to Anodize, a couple of which were under the guise of Within Reason. If that name sounds familiar, it's because it appeared on that gargantuan, elephantine Pete Namlook tribute box-set Die Welt Ist Klang. Yep, even though it's nearly a decade old now, I'm still name-dropping that release.
The most prominent release I've heard from Gregory, however, is one I actually have, Nomadic Impressions as Open Canvas on Waveform Records. If that's drawing a blank, don't worry, it's been even longer since I reviewed it. In fact, I wonder if Mr. Kyryluk is even aware I did? He never made mention of it when he approached me to review this item for him. So it goes sometimes. Oh, right, I've a review to do!
So Alpha Wave Movement. As mentioned, this is Gregory's most prolific alias, currently up to thirty albums in just as many years. With titles like Cosmology, A Distant Signal, Architexture Of Silence, and Yasumu, it's quite clear the more meditative, New Age side of ambient is his main foray, with some explorations of cosmic Berlin-School thrown in for good measure. Like, when you've released in the excess of thirty-plus albums over your career, there's plenty of opportunities to explore the various facets of a chosen genre.
With a title of Somnus, the intention is clear: music for relaxation, drifting synapses, and serenading songs sending you to slumberland. No, not the Waveform compilation Slumberland ...though these pieces could have easily fit snug on those too. As this is very calm, droning ambient music, there's little for me to actually detail, but hey, if I've gone this far with all those Lucette Bourdin albums, I'm sure there's something here too.
Sonaoran Silence features deep pads before gently morphing into flowing harmonies. Be Here Now goes more tranquil with gentle, spritely synths and babbling brooks. Bioelectric Traces brings a sense of angelic astral planing into focus. Transient Molecules and Patterns Of Fragility are more minimalist compared to the rest, while Ting-Sha, with its sparse bell tones and sustained drone, is mysterious and, dare I say, ominous. Oh dear, there had to be that one track bringing to mind night terrors, didn't there.
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Sync24 - Omnious
Leftfield Records/Sidereal: 2018/2019
Figured I may as well get this one too, complete the Sync24 collection and all. Yes, the entire four-album discography! I guess there's also that trio of EPs listed at Discogs, and an archive of Daniel's early ambient music called Ambient Archive [1996-2002]. Can't say I'm as interested in those efforts, though who knows how many sonic seeds lurk in those sessions that bore fruit in later Carbon Based Lifeform outings.
But yes, Omnious was indeed Mr. Segerstad's return to his solo project, often trotted out shortly after a CBL album dropped. My suspicion is there's only so many ideas he and Johannes can work into a project, leaving many off to the side for Daniel to make use of elsewhere. That ultra-minimalist ambient excursion titled Suspended Animation too sedate for World Of Sleepers? No problem, put on your own album! Dance Of The Droids just a little too chipper even for Interloper? No problem, put it on your own album! A Deep Sea Meditation Experience perhaps a bit overtly fairy-tale twee for anything released on CBL's new home of Blood Music (Blood Music!). Fret not, your fellow Ultimae Records alum Solar Fields has his own label now, where such music will fit right in!
Yeah, if the quirky cover-art with gathered characters from some indie platformer wasn't a giveaway, Omnious is a rather light-hearted affair. Ain't no wild TB-303 workouts as heard on the 'nighttime' follow-up Acidious, no sir. Well, okay, Bunnies On Mushrooms does feature some prominent acid as a lead, but it's sparse in use, casually bobbing along to a bouncy, psy-dub rhythm. Nothing ground-breaking where this sound is concerned, but a fun little knob-twiddler just the same. Lungs Full Of Clean Air is somewhat similar, though heavier in its use of ...side-chaining? Oh, wow, I thought that gimmick was long dead, but guess it can get trotted out for occasional service.
Mostly though, Omnious is all about tunes on the downbeat, when there's even a beat at all. Second track The Morning Before It All Happened gets on that cinematic ambient vibe that'll have all your vintage Ultimae triggers flaring – why is such a mellow tune at the number two spot though? The Tale Of The Lonely Apothecary gets widescreen with layered dub tones while a melancholy melody glides through, while Coffee Break In Orbit is exceptionally well-titled. Man, nothing but casual reflection while sipping a cuppa' over Callisto.
The final two tracks - That Boring Autumn Day and Wise Whispers In The Wind - really reach down through your aorta, tugging at the heartstrings with their tranquil, graceful melodies. It really makes you wonder why Daniel didn't make use of these for that CBL debut on Blood Music (B-L-O-O-D Music!!), at least until you remember what that label's name is.
Unfortunately, like Acidious, Omnious runs all too short at just eight tracks long, none breaching the six-and-a-half minute mark. Boy, could some of these use an extended remix or two.
Figured I may as well get this one too, complete the Sync24 collection and all. Yes, the entire four-album discography! I guess there's also that trio of EPs listed at Discogs, and an archive of Daniel's early ambient music called Ambient Archive [1996-2002]. Can't say I'm as interested in those efforts, though who knows how many sonic seeds lurk in those sessions that bore fruit in later Carbon Based Lifeform outings.
But yes, Omnious was indeed Mr. Segerstad's return to his solo project, often trotted out shortly after a CBL album dropped. My suspicion is there's only so many ideas he and Johannes can work into a project, leaving many off to the side for Daniel to make use of elsewhere. That ultra-minimalist ambient excursion titled Suspended Animation too sedate for World Of Sleepers? No problem, put on your own album! Dance Of The Droids just a little too chipper even for Interloper? No problem, put it on your own album! A Deep Sea Meditation Experience perhaps a bit overtly fairy-tale twee for anything released on CBL's new home of Blood Music (Blood Music!). Fret not, your fellow Ultimae Records alum Solar Fields has his own label now, where such music will fit right in!
Yeah, if the quirky cover-art with gathered characters from some indie platformer wasn't a giveaway, Omnious is a rather light-hearted affair. Ain't no wild TB-303 workouts as heard on the 'nighttime' follow-up Acidious, no sir. Well, okay, Bunnies On Mushrooms does feature some prominent acid as a lead, but it's sparse in use, casually bobbing along to a bouncy, psy-dub rhythm. Nothing ground-breaking where this sound is concerned, but a fun little knob-twiddler just the same. Lungs Full Of Clean Air is somewhat similar, though heavier in its use of ...side-chaining? Oh, wow, I thought that gimmick was long dead, but guess it can get trotted out for occasional service.
Mostly though, Omnious is all about tunes on the downbeat, when there's even a beat at all. Second track The Morning Before It All Happened gets on that cinematic ambient vibe that'll have all your vintage Ultimae triggers flaring – why is such a mellow tune at the number two spot though? The Tale Of The Lonely Apothecary gets widescreen with layered dub tones while a melancholy melody glides through, while Coffee Break In Orbit is exceptionally well-titled. Man, nothing but casual reflection while sipping a cuppa' over Callisto.
The final two tracks - That Boring Autumn Day and Wise Whispers In The Wind - really reach down through your aorta, tugging at the heartstrings with their tranquil, graceful melodies. It really makes you wonder why Daniel didn't make use of these for that CBL debut on Blood Music (B-L-O-O-D Music!!), at least until you remember what that label's name is.
Unfortunately, like Acidious, Omnious runs all too short at just eight tracks long, none breaching the six-and-a-half minute mark. Boy, could some of these use an extended remix or two.
Sunday, September 25, 2022
Dance With The Dead - Loved To Death
self release: 2018
Once, a long, long time ago, I had a chance to see Dance With The Dead on tour, the supporting act of long-standing machismo-shredders Dragonforce. I didn't go because in those days, you took clubbing and concerts for granted, always assuming they'd always be there, whenever the whim struck you. Never did you conceive of it all shutting down for 'reasons'. Should they ever re-open, and the band tour once more in my nook of the world, no way in Hell I was gonna' take them for granted, no sir (and I didn't, too).
I bring all this up because, had I gone to that show in the before-times, this was the album Dance With The Dead were touring with at the time. Honestly, that isn't much of a revelation, in that my exposure to the band was so raw and new, I couldn't I.D. any of their songs (I highly doubt they'd perform their version of GosT's Reign In Hell). In some ways, it's irrelevant which songs would have more prominence over others, in that they do all kinda' aesthetically blend together. Some rip faster, others shred harder, but the core elements of each tune – synths, guitars, heavy chugging rhythms, nods to '80s soundtracks – remain intact for much of the band's discography. And it's all the more awesome for it!
Loved To Death gets going with Go!, Dance With The Dead wasting no time getting the goings on. The beats are brisk, the guitar powers forward, and the synth leads are oh-so glorious. How can you not want to bang your head to this? Throw up a devil's horn or two? Epic adventure in spooky, sci-fi dwellings beckon, so strap on your finest Adidas, hop on your BMX bikes, and let's fight against the alien murder robots invading some misty Maine backwoods.
Follow-up Into The Shadows carries on with high-octane shredding synthwave action, then things slow down considerably for a while. Salem lets synth melodies take the lead, though Tony Kim still gets his chance to solo towards the end, while Portraits almost goes reflective and chill, at least as chill as a synth-metal band can go without going full ballad. War almost gets you thinking the heavy beat action is returning with the band's chugging basslines and building arp leads, but the song surprisingly breaks down for some soft electro, piano and burbling acid action. Even a return of the gattling-gun bassline isn't enough to lift War out of its newfound contemplative mood.
The second half of Loved To Death features more tunes of similar ilk as the side A: heavy beat chuggers (From Hell, Become Wrath), moody synth-led numbers (Red Moon, Oracle), and that one rippin' tune that sounds more ravey than rocky (From Hell). Obviously if the idea of synth-metal-wave has little interest to you, then this album ain't for you, doing little to shake the genre's foundations away from its most appealing attributes. For those of us in for the ride though... wooooo!!
Once, a long, long time ago, I had a chance to see Dance With The Dead on tour, the supporting act of long-standing machismo-shredders Dragonforce. I didn't go because in those days, you took clubbing and concerts for granted, always assuming they'd always be there, whenever the whim struck you. Never did you conceive of it all shutting down for 'reasons'. Should they ever re-open, and the band tour once more in my nook of the world, no way in Hell I was gonna' take them for granted, no sir (and I didn't, too).
I bring all this up because, had I gone to that show in the before-times, this was the album Dance With The Dead were touring with at the time. Honestly, that isn't much of a revelation, in that my exposure to the band was so raw and new, I couldn't I.D. any of their songs (I highly doubt they'd perform their version of GosT's Reign In Hell). In some ways, it's irrelevant which songs would have more prominence over others, in that they do all kinda' aesthetically blend together. Some rip faster, others shred harder, but the core elements of each tune – synths, guitars, heavy chugging rhythms, nods to '80s soundtracks – remain intact for much of the band's discography. And it's all the more awesome for it!
Loved To Death gets going with Go!, Dance With The Dead wasting no time getting the goings on. The beats are brisk, the guitar powers forward, and the synth leads are oh-so glorious. How can you not want to bang your head to this? Throw up a devil's horn or two? Epic adventure in spooky, sci-fi dwellings beckon, so strap on your finest Adidas, hop on your BMX bikes, and let's fight against the alien murder robots invading some misty Maine backwoods.
Follow-up Into The Shadows carries on with high-octane shredding synthwave action, then things slow down considerably for a while. Salem lets synth melodies take the lead, though Tony Kim still gets his chance to solo towards the end, while Portraits almost goes reflective and chill, at least as chill as a synth-metal band can go without going full ballad. War almost gets you thinking the heavy beat action is returning with the band's chugging basslines and building arp leads, but the song surprisingly breaks down for some soft electro, piano and burbling acid action. Even a return of the gattling-gun bassline isn't enough to lift War out of its newfound contemplative mood.
The second half of Loved To Death features more tunes of similar ilk as the side A: heavy beat chuggers (From Hell, Become Wrath), moody synth-led numbers (Red Moon, Oracle), and that one rippin' tune that sounds more ravey than rocky (From Hell). Obviously if the idea of synth-metal-wave has little interest to you, then this album ain't for you, doing little to shake the genre's foundations away from its most appealing attributes. For those of us in for the ride though... wooooo!!
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Solipsism - Kismet
Carpe Sonum Records: 2018
So now Solipsism. Ever since I took a dive into the extended Lee Norris Ambientverse, this is a name that's floated about my periphery. Like, it's hard not to notice an alias that reminds me of some of the more tedious discussions I engaged in during university philosophy courses. Not to mention simply being a word that would leave one drenched should it be uttered by Sylvester The Cat.
Seriously though, the Craig Murphy project has existed for nearly two decades now, spending much of the '00s releasing several digital-only items on labels like Herb Recordings and Ambidextrous Records (no relation to the artist Ambidextrous). He finally landed a CD roll-out debuting on Mr. Norris' ...txt print, and the two went on to collaborate on a few more albums, sometimes as their separate aliases (Nacht Plank in Lee's case), or as a totally unique project called Ashtoreth's Gate. Hmm, name sounds dark ambientish, that one. May need to investigate further.
Anyhow, Solipsism is a project that I probably would check out proper-like at some point, should the right record entice me further. And leave it to Carpe Sonum Records to publish that CD, Kismet luring me in with yet another striking bit of geometric architecture. The blue-hued cover art didn't hurt either. As for how Mr. Murphy got his stab at a Carpe Sonum outing at all, well hey, it's right there in the title, is it not? Also, Kismet isn't actually an album, but a compilation of several previous works released under the Solipsism banner, some reaching as far back as 2008. I admit I didn't know this going in, but hey, makes for a handy sampler of his music now, and Carpe Sonum has often proven capable of weaving an artist's back catalogue into their own flowing LPs.
Even though I'm fairly certain Solipsism is an ambient artist, I wasn't sure what brand of ambient I might be in for. Considering he's worked with Nacht Plank, I was expecting a few dalliances into the more experimental side of the genre, and sure enough, a few tracks go there. Beachcomber starts out with some nice, subtle tone, but gets rather distorted towards the end. It's not nearly as annoying as The Space Between Atoms though, which doesn't waste much time before piercing your ears with quite grating noise between musique concrete transistor twerps. A shame, because the rest of that track does feature some nice, soothing passages of opulent synth drone.
Those are the only two egregious examples though, and are nicely spaced apart so it doesn't detract from Kismet's whole. Rather, the album-compilation opens with a nice, fuzzy bit of piano 'n' synth ambient in Toking Elders In Avalanche, gives us a taste of the mysterious warble-reverb in Maighdean na Tuinne, slows the pace down to contemplative reflection with Stargazer and Planes Of Existence (with extra sub-bass drone!), while Forgotten and Escape Pod takes us out in ambient grace. Yep, I'd say that covers about everything in Solipsism's oeuvre.
So now Solipsism. Ever since I took a dive into the extended Lee Norris Ambientverse, this is a name that's floated about my periphery. Like, it's hard not to notice an alias that reminds me of some of the more tedious discussions I engaged in during university philosophy courses. Not to mention simply being a word that would leave one drenched should it be uttered by Sylvester The Cat.
Seriously though, the Craig Murphy project has existed for nearly two decades now, spending much of the '00s releasing several digital-only items on labels like Herb Recordings and Ambidextrous Records (no relation to the artist Ambidextrous). He finally landed a CD roll-out debuting on Mr. Norris' ...txt print, and the two went on to collaborate on a few more albums, sometimes as their separate aliases (Nacht Plank in Lee's case), or as a totally unique project called Ashtoreth's Gate. Hmm, name sounds dark ambientish, that one. May need to investigate further.
Anyhow, Solipsism is a project that I probably would check out proper-like at some point, should the right record entice me further. And leave it to Carpe Sonum Records to publish that CD, Kismet luring me in with yet another striking bit of geometric architecture. The blue-hued cover art didn't hurt either. As for how Mr. Murphy got his stab at a Carpe Sonum outing at all, well hey, it's right there in the title, is it not? Also, Kismet isn't actually an album, but a compilation of several previous works released under the Solipsism banner, some reaching as far back as 2008. I admit I didn't know this going in, but hey, makes for a handy sampler of his music now, and Carpe Sonum has often proven capable of weaving an artist's back catalogue into their own flowing LPs.
Even though I'm fairly certain Solipsism is an ambient artist, I wasn't sure what brand of ambient I might be in for. Considering he's worked with Nacht Plank, I was expecting a few dalliances into the more experimental side of the genre, and sure enough, a few tracks go there. Beachcomber starts out with some nice, subtle tone, but gets rather distorted towards the end. It's not nearly as annoying as The Space Between Atoms though, which doesn't waste much time before piercing your ears with quite grating noise between musique concrete transistor twerps. A shame, because the rest of that track does feature some nice, soothing passages of opulent synth drone.
Those are the only two egregious examples though, and are nicely spaced apart so it doesn't detract from Kismet's whole. Rather, the album-compilation opens with a nice, fuzzy bit of piano 'n' synth ambient in Toking Elders In Avalanche, gives us a taste of the mysterious warble-reverb in Maighdean na Tuinne, slows the pace down to contemplative reflection with Stargazer and Planes Of Existence (with extra sub-bass drone!), while Forgotten and Escape Pod takes us out in ambient grace. Yep, I'd say that covers about everything in Solipsism's oeuvre.
Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Aythar - ElectrOcean / Winter Walk
Fantasy Enhancing: 2018/2021
Yay, a new Aythar album! This was self-released as a digital item a few years ago, but we all knew a physical option would emerge at some point. I mean, if even Cosmic Resonance made its way to CD, this had to be a shoo-in. So who's it gonna' be, then? Carpe Sonum again? A return to ...txt? Maybe one of those new-fangled labels Lee Norris set up like Neotantra?
Ah, it's the 'prestige' print, Fantasy Enhancing, with the DVD package and the like. Wait, you're not doing that, instead including a second album? So, a double-LP then? Not a double-LP, then, Winter Walk an entirely different collection of music. It's not unprecedented a double-album will contain two conceptually different CDs, but usually still under the same title. Odd choice, but hey, two new Aythar albums!
So ElectOcean. After spending so much time among the stars, Tamás Károly Tamás set his sonic sights a little closer to Earth. Or maybe its a space sea, one made of highly-charged electric particles! It certainly sounds little like the bounding main on terra firma, unusually crisp and clean, as though the water is made out of '90s CGI technology (so shimmery and plastic). Fortunately, we get a twenty-four minute meditative opener to properly submerge into this oceanic realm, Underwater Relax all flowing synth tones and grand pianos echoing from the distant depths as you slowly descend in some sort of submersible (it's all those bubbling effects). I cannot deny starting the album with such a lengthy piece does cause one's attention to drift, but isn't that the point of music designed for relaxing anyway?
With a proper Dive Into The ElectOcean, we're treated to some dubbed-out ambient techno with whale song in support. A little cliche perhaps, but Aythar's skill at songcraft keeps it a captivating excursion regardless. Protoplasm utilizes more echo and reverb over dub, in such a manner that it feels like you're listening to this from within an open sea cavern, while Electrolyte and the titular cut brings the actual electro to these oceans. In an ambient techno sort of way. The only track that seems a bit out of place is Welcome To Our Fairy World, an overtly twee piece that has me imagining swimming around chibi mermaids and dolphins. Child-like wonder at coral reef palaces, and such as.
Winter Walk, meanwhile, is mostly a pure ambient drone album, lengthy pieces taking you on calming journeys. Light And Snow has you out in the wilderness, huddled close to a simmering fire, the sounds of nearby fauna echoing off dense trees as everything is covered in white. Melting Glaciers offers a soft, liquid rhythm, but is no less tranquil. Elegy For The Arctic goes even more classic ambient than Light And Snow, the Eno vibes strong, while the titular tune offers something a little more chipper over the general melancholy that permeates the album. Only Dark Snow brings something rhythm heavy, almost shocking in its use of crisp, echoing beats.
Yay, a new Aythar album! This was self-released as a digital item a few years ago, but we all knew a physical option would emerge at some point. I mean, if even Cosmic Resonance made its way to CD, this had to be a shoo-in. So who's it gonna' be, then? Carpe Sonum again? A return to ...txt? Maybe one of those new-fangled labels Lee Norris set up like Neotantra?
Ah, it's the 'prestige' print, Fantasy Enhancing, with the DVD package and the like. Wait, you're not doing that, instead including a second album? So, a double-LP then? Not a double-LP, then, Winter Walk an entirely different collection of music. It's not unprecedented a double-album will contain two conceptually different CDs, but usually still under the same title. Odd choice, but hey, two new Aythar albums!
So ElectOcean. After spending so much time among the stars, Tamás Károly Tamás set his sonic sights a little closer to Earth. Or maybe its a space sea, one made of highly-charged electric particles! It certainly sounds little like the bounding main on terra firma, unusually crisp and clean, as though the water is made out of '90s CGI technology (so shimmery and plastic). Fortunately, we get a twenty-four minute meditative opener to properly submerge into this oceanic realm, Underwater Relax all flowing synth tones and grand pianos echoing from the distant depths as you slowly descend in some sort of submersible (it's all those bubbling effects). I cannot deny starting the album with such a lengthy piece does cause one's attention to drift, but isn't that the point of music designed for relaxing anyway?
With a proper Dive Into The ElectOcean, we're treated to some dubbed-out ambient techno with whale song in support. A little cliche perhaps, but Aythar's skill at songcraft keeps it a captivating excursion regardless. Protoplasm utilizes more echo and reverb over dub, in such a manner that it feels like you're listening to this from within an open sea cavern, while Electrolyte and the titular cut brings the actual electro to these oceans. In an ambient techno sort of way. The only track that seems a bit out of place is Welcome To Our Fairy World, an overtly twee piece that has me imagining swimming around chibi mermaids and dolphins. Child-like wonder at coral reef palaces, and such as.
Winter Walk, meanwhile, is mostly a pure ambient drone album, lengthy pieces taking you on calming journeys. Light And Snow has you out in the wilderness, huddled close to a simmering fire, the sounds of nearby fauna echoing off dense trees as everything is covered in white. Melting Glaciers offers a soft, liquid rhythm, but is no less tranquil. Elegy For The Arctic goes even more classic ambient than Light And Snow, the Eno vibes strong, while the titular tune offers something a little more chipper over the general melancholy that permeates the album. Only Dark Snow brings something rhythm heavy, almost shocking in its use of crisp, echoing beats.
Saturday, December 4, 2021
Neil Young - Archives, Vol. 2: Disc 4 - Roxy: Tonight's The Night Live (1973)
Reprise Records: 2018/2020
We're entering prime 'ditch' territory here, folks.
I'm sure we all know the story up to this point now. Harvest tour, a mess. Fame and fortune, found wanting. Close friends, dying of dope overdoses. Neil, trying to deal with it all, retreated to a make-shift L.A. studio with some of his musician buddies, where they drank hard liquor and played music to their fallen comrades, resulting in the album Tonight's The Night. As Archives, Vol. 2 presents everything in chronological order, it makes sense those sessions being the third disc in the set, despite the actual album not coming out for a couple years later. I've already reviewed it though, so let's skip ahead to disc number four, Roxy: Tonight's The Night Live (1973).
Why review a live album of songs I've already talked about? The fact this was even unearthed is a talking point, by g'ar! Despite some of these tunes becoming staples in Mr. Young's future concerts, they were all unknown to a wider public at this point. There were no lead singles, no album in support, and those who were coming in to see Neil Young in concert had to be even more confused than those who went to the Harvest shows. At least he'd still play favourites like Old Man and Heart Of Gold among the newer, unreleased ditties like Time Fades Away and Don't Be Denied. You didn't even get that with this tour. I'm sure it's exactly as Neil preferred it. Heck, I'm not even sure he intended this to turn into a tour that stretched into the U.K., the songs just a tad too intimate, personal, and raw for international audiences unfamiliar with the material.
Still, if this live set is any indication, things at least started on a positive note. The Roxy Theatre on the Sunset Strip had just re-opened under new ownership, including future label mogul David Geffen. It hadn't quite shaken off its former strip club atmosphere though, so the bluesy, down-and-out, skuzzy vibe that permeates Tonight's The Night fit snuggly with the joint. Possibly feeling inspired by the setting, Neil morphed into a caricature of the sort of Orange County (or Miami Beach) lounge lizard who'd host such an establishment. No longer the charming, folksy warbler of country-rock hits, he was a downtrodden, washed-up grease-ball only a mother could love. Andy Kaufman would have loved it, if he'd seen it.
The smaller venue also provided the perfect vibe for the music, Neil far more personable and interactive with the crowd, all the while backed by his A-team of associated musicians. Dubbed The Santa Monica Flyers, you had the remaining Crazy Horse members on rhythm, wonderkid Nils Lofgren on piano and guitar, and dependable Ben Keith on slide guitar. All had been in lock-step with these tunes since their creation, so rolled into the Roxy quite polished in performing them. And even if no one in the audience knew them, they all seemed at least hype enough being part of the Roxy's grand opening to indulge Neil's dalliance from the norm. All in all, a fun night out, this performance, even if the subject matter remains bleak as all Hell.
We're entering prime 'ditch' territory here, folks.
I'm sure we all know the story up to this point now. Harvest tour, a mess. Fame and fortune, found wanting. Close friends, dying of dope overdoses. Neil, trying to deal with it all, retreated to a make-shift L.A. studio with some of his musician buddies, where they drank hard liquor and played music to their fallen comrades, resulting in the album Tonight's The Night. As Archives, Vol. 2 presents everything in chronological order, it makes sense those sessions being the third disc in the set, despite the actual album not coming out for a couple years later. I've already reviewed it though, so let's skip ahead to disc number four, Roxy: Tonight's The Night Live (1973).
Why review a live album of songs I've already talked about? The fact this was even unearthed is a talking point, by g'ar! Despite some of these tunes becoming staples in Mr. Young's future concerts, they were all unknown to a wider public at this point. There were no lead singles, no album in support, and those who were coming in to see Neil Young in concert had to be even more confused than those who went to the Harvest shows. At least he'd still play favourites like Old Man and Heart Of Gold among the newer, unreleased ditties like Time Fades Away and Don't Be Denied. You didn't even get that with this tour. I'm sure it's exactly as Neil preferred it. Heck, I'm not even sure he intended this to turn into a tour that stretched into the U.K., the songs just a tad too intimate, personal, and raw for international audiences unfamiliar with the material.
Still, if this live set is any indication, things at least started on a positive note. The Roxy Theatre on the Sunset Strip had just re-opened under new ownership, including future label mogul David Geffen. It hadn't quite shaken off its former strip club atmosphere though, so the bluesy, down-and-out, skuzzy vibe that permeates Tonight's The Night fit snuggly with the joint. Possibly feeling inspired by the setting, Neil morphed into a caricature of the sort of Orange County (or Miami Beach) lounge lizard who'd host such an establishment. No longer the charming, folksy warbler of country-rock hits, he was a downtrodden, washed-up grease-ball only a mother could love. Andy Kaufman would have loved it, if he'd seen it.
The smaller venue also provided the perfect vibe for the music, Neil far more personable and interactive with the crowd, all the while backed by his A-team of associated musicians. Dubbed The Santa Monica Flyers, you had the remaining Crazy Horse members on rhythm, wonderkid Nils Lofgren on piano and guitar, and dependable Ben Keith on slide guitar. All had been in lock-step with these tunes since their creation, so rolled into the Roxy quite polished in performing them. And even if no one in the audience knew them, they all seemed at least hype enough being part of the Roxy's grand opening to indulge Neil's dalliance from the norm. All in all, a fun night out, this performance, even if the subject matter remains bleak as all Hell.
Saturday, October 23, 2021
Mount Shrine - Winter Restlessness
Cryo Chamber: 2018
Since taking the plunge into dark ambient's domain, I'm consistently fascinated by the varying entry points many of its artists have approached it by. For the longest time, I assumed it was mostly a gothy industrial off-shoot because, for the longest time, it was mostly a gothy industrial offshoot. I've since heard jazz, blues, metal, tribal, field recordings, and even opera music (of a sort) worm their way into the creepy kids' club.
One scene I never expected showing up to the doom 'n' gloom party is the vaporwave one, although I'm not sure why. Like, isn't v-wave all about making existing music all lo-fi and shit? Seems like a natural evolution to some extent, but all that guady, retro artwork vapor's known for doesn't really jive with dark ambient's aesthetic, so you understand being surprised by any connection. Figures Cryo Chamber would find an artist bridging that gap though.
Cesar Alexandre mostly made his name in vaporwave with projects like Lindsheaven Virtual Plaza and Slow Midnight, though had his hand in many other online experimental scenes as well. This led to some ambient releases, including Mount Shrine, which caught the attention of Cryo Chamber, giving Cesar some of his greatest exposure yet, this here Winter Restlessness his debut on the label.
I knew none of this going in, of course, just intrigued by the cover art of a lonesome ruin nestled within an alpine clime'. Figuring I might be in for something on a Ugasanie tip, you can imagine my surprise when I got none of that. Instead, the titular opener brings us a softly crackling fire, impossibly distant radio chatter, and minimalist sombre pads. It's almost something right out of Biosphere's Substrata, though Geir's music paints a remote vista, whereas Mount Shrine seems to impart feelings of remoteness and isolation.
Which makes sense for an album about residing in desolate regions, but as Winter Restlessness carries on, I sense the sonic locale is a little more grounded, almost urban. The hum of traffic far below apartment towers, the synthetic hum of power lines outside your window, the relentless patter of rain on glass patios, all the while sombre pads carry on, always maintaining that sense of isolation, even if civilization exists just beyond your dwelling's walls. It's unlike most dark ambient I've come across, more akin to the sort of droning interludes you might hear on a Burial-clone album. Music for introspection and reflection rather than challenging your sense of being. Future Mount Shrine albums would have titles like Underpass, Outsider Station, and Across Rooftops, further supporting this urban vibe. Then I learned Cesar hailed from Rio De Janeiro, and his approach to dark ambient made perfect sense.
Sadly, I've also learned that Cesar passed away this year, another victim in the ongoing COVID pandemic. Due to its massive population and extreme class disparity (not to mention a retrograde political leader), Brazil has been one of the worst hit countries in the world. Odds were not in Mount Shrine's favour.
Since taking the plunge into dark ambient's domain, I'm consistently fascinated by the varying entry points many of its artists have approached it by. For the longest time, I assumed it was mostly a gothy industrial off-shoot because, for the longest time, it was mostly a gothy industrial offshoot. I've since heard jazz, blues, metal, tribal, field recordings, and even opera music (of a sort) worm their way into the creepy kids' club.
One scene I never expected showing up to the doom 'n' gloom party is the vaporwave one, although I'm not sure why. Like, isn't v-wave all about making existing music all lo-fi and shit? Seems like a natural evolution to some extent, but all that guady, retro artwork vapor's known for doesn't really jive with dark ambient's aesthetic, so you understand being surprised by any connection. Figures Cryo Chamber would find an artist bridging that gap though.
Cesar Alexandre mostly made his name in vaporwave with projects like Lindsheaven Virtual Plaza and Slow Midnight, though had his hand in many other online experimental scenes as well. This led to some ambient releases, including Mount Shrine, which caught the attention of Cryo Chamber, giving Cesar some of his greatest exposure yet, this here Winter Restlessness his debut on the label.
I knew none of this going in, of course, just intrigued by the cover art of a lonesome ruin nestled within an alpine clime'. Figuring I might be in for something on a Ugasanie tip, you can imagine my surprise when I got none of that. Instead, the titular opener brings us a softly crackling fire, impossibly distant radio chatter, and minimalist sombre pads. It's almost something right out of Biosphere's Substrata, though Geir's music paints a remote vista, whereas Mount Shrine seems to impart feelings of remoteness and isolation.
Which makes sense for an album about residing in desolate regions, but as Winter Restlessness carries on, I sense the sonic locale is a little more grounded, almost urban. The hum of traffic far below apartment towers, the synthetic hum of power lines outside your window, the relentless patter of rain on glass patios, all the while sombre pads carry on, always maintaining that sense of isolation, even if civilization exists just beyond your dwelling's walls. It's unlike most dark ambient I've come across, more akin to the sort of droning interludes you might hear on a Burial-clone album. Music for introspection and reflection rather than challenging your sense of being. Future Mount Shrine albums would have titles like Underpass, Outsider Station, and Across Rooftops, further supporting this urban vibe. Then I learned Cesar hailed from Rio De Janeiro, and his approach to dark ambient made perfect sense.
Sadly, I've also learned that Cesar passed away this year, another victim in the ongoing COVID pandemic. Due to its massive population and extreme class disparity (not to mention a retrograde political leader), Brazil has been one of the worst hit countries in the world. Odds were not in Mount Shrine's favour.
Sunday, June 13, 2021
Hollywood Burns - Invaders
Blood Music: 2018
Is synthwave dead? Haha, no, of course it isn't, what a silly thing to insinuate. No genre truly dies, and this one's too young to go into remission just yet. It does, however, feel like the hype behind it has tapered off, which isn't that surprising. The genre's been around for about a decade now, and had its peak of popularity in about half that time. Most of the scene leaders are now firmly established and entrenched, band-wagon jumpers and copy-cats having come and gone. That doesn't mean there isn't room for some new hotness to emerge and make a run for the top of the mountain, but such things seem fewer and further between. It's not enough to just slap some retro synths, Moroder rhythms, and Carpenter themes into your music anymore. A healthy scene needs evolution to remain vibrant, but how can it when the whole point of its existence is thematically singular?
Hollywood Burns may have found a way. If synthwave is all about celebrating the soundtracks to an '80s that never existed, why not extend that to other decades? Say, the '50s, when bombastic Biblical epic scores could rub shoulders with pulpy sci-fi sound experiments?
Opener Opener Titles doesn't shirk on letting you know what you're in for. The orchestra is in full swing, with a Theremin in support (or something emulating it). Don't worry though, folks, you didn't accidentally get something way off the beaten path. This is still a synthwave album from a French producer on Blood Music. Follow-up Black Saucers is full-on Perturbator stylee, is what I'm saying. Just, with more '70s retro synths and pulpy sci-fi sounds, is all, and a wonderful shot of fresh vitality in a genre that can sound all too samey the deeper you dig.
I guess I should mention that a couple of the tracks that appear on Invaders previously appeared on his debut EP First Contact. Given how strong tunes like the aforementioned Black Saucers and Came To Annihilate (vocoder!) are, it's plenty 'nuff to build a full concept album on. And what concept is that? Eh, running through a matinee of old movies being played in some grungy '80s back-alley theatre, I guess. Can't escape that synthwave aesthetic.
But it all sounds in service of laying out all manner of different orchestral swells and wailing synth noises while riding out aggro dark-synth rhythms. Bazaar Of The Damned gets in on some Arabic harmonies, and now you're in a wild chase in some desert adventure movie. Scherzo No. 5 In Death Minor has creepy poltergeist chasing you through foggy graveyards. Revenge Of The Black Saucers has U.F.O.s chasing you through L.A. skylines. Have I mentioned a lot of Invaders as a real 'outrun' feel to it?
So a solid, unique album in synthwave canon. I can't wait to hear what else Hollywood Burns has done! What do you mean he hasn't released anything since? Oh no, please don't be another 'one and done' artist!
Is synthwave dead? Haha, no, of course it isn't, what a silly thing to insinuate. No genre truly dies, and this one's too young to go into remission just yet. It does, however, feel like the hype behind it has tapered off, which isn't that surprising. The genre's been around for about a decade now, and had its peak of popularity in about half that time. Most of the scene leaders are now firmly established and entrenched, band-wagon jumpers and copy-cats having come and gone. That doesn't mean there isn't room for some new hotness to emerge and make a run for the top of the mountain, but such things seem fewer and further between. It's not enough to just slap some retro synths, Moroder rhythms, and Carpenter themes into your music anymore. A healthy scene needs evolution to remain vibrant, but how can it when the whole point of its existence is thematically singular?
Hollywood Burns may have found a way. If synthwave is all about celebrating the soundtracks to an '80s that never existed, why not extend that to other decades? Say, the '50s, when bombastic Biblical epic scores could rub shoulders with pulpy sci-fi sound experiments?
Opener Opener Titles doesn't shirk on letting you know what you're in for. The orchestra is in full swing, with a Theremin in support (or something emulating it). Don't worry though, folks, you didn't accidentally get something way off the beaten path. This is still a synthwave album from a French producer on Blood Music. Follow-up Black Saucers is full-on Perturbator stylee, is what I'm saying. Just, with more '70s retro synths and pulpy sci-fi sounds, is all, and a wonderful shot of fresh vitality in a genre that can sound all too samey the deeper you dig.
I guess I should mention that a couple of the tracks that appear on Invaders previously appeared on his debut EP First Contact. Given how strong tunes like the aforementioned Black Saucers and Came To Annihilate (vocoder!) are, it's plenty 'nuff to build a full concept album on. And what concept is that? Eh, running through a matinee of old movies being played in some grungy '80s back-alley theatre, I guess. Can't escape that synthwave aesthetic.
But it all sounds in service of laying out all manner of different orchestral swells and wailing synth noises while riding out aggro dark-synth rhythms. Bazaar Of The Damned gets in on some Arabic harmonies, and now you're in a wild chase in some desert adventure movie. Scherzo No. 5 In Death Minor has creepy poltergeist chasing you through foggy graveyards. Revenge Of The Black Saucers has U.F.O.s chasing you through L.A. skylines. Have I mentioned a lot of Invaders as a real 'outrun' feel to it?
So a solid, unique album in synthwave canon. I can't wait to hear what else Hollywood Burns has done! What do you mean he hasn't released anything since? Oh no, please don't be another 'one and done' artist!
Wednesday, June 9, 2021
Mick Chillage - Intervals Of Light
Fantasy Enhancing: 2018/2019
Of course Mick Chillage would have an album out on Fantasy Enhancing. It's more a question of how many albums he'll have on the label run by his Autumn Of Communion partner. He's up to two now, and that doesn't include the items made in tandem with Lee Norris or Árni Grétar (ooh, new Skau Atlantic, say wha...!). What I wonder, however, is exactly which of his projects gets consideration for which labels. Like, does he offer one stylistic album to Carpe Sonum Records, then something completely different for Databloem? Why has Neotantra landed three LPs, but Touched only two? Is all this rendered moot now that Mick's taken to self-releasing his own stuff, even setting up a label (Before & After Silence Recordings) to do so?
Of-course of course, what sets Fantasy Enhancing apart from all these other prints is the prestigious DVD-sized packaging their releases come with (box-sets, too). It makes you feel like you're getting something extra-special, the sort of item one proudly displays upon your shelves. Surely, then, an artist like Mick Chillage would want his best music on a product with the best packaging on the (CD) market. Seems appropriate.
Does that make Intervals Of Light the best Mick Chillage album? Heck if I know, I've only heard about eight of them, while Lord Discogs lists about another fifty in his catalogue. I may never hear them all! Of what I have heard, however, Intervals Of Light certainly sits among the top half.
This is almost an entirely pure ambient album, and at just five tracks long, you might expect another one of Mick's more indulgent works. Not this one though, the noodling melodies actually feeling like they're going places worth seeing, even on the twenty-one minute long titular track. This is the sort of ambient you'd likely have found on ultra-obscure mini-discs in the '90s, most likely made on an Italian print. It may not sound like much just playing in the background, but gosh, those lovely, gentle tones, they sure do seem to last forever, and wouldn't mind them carrying on for even longer, no sir.
Of the four other tracks, two breach sixteen minutes, the others eight. Time Zones makes good use of its runtime, going on a nice little journey of various ambient sounds, samples, and tones, the sort of weightlessness one might sense while about airports. Acuapor and Wavelength bring some some rhythmic energy to the floaty synth pad action, more so the latter, while final track To Journey Without You goes all upper-astral on your aural centres.
So in all, a tidy little collection of pleasant tracks, with melodies that, while don't leap out and coddle your cochlea, should send your headspace into soothing serenity. I like this one, is what I'm saying, and even sticks with me after it plays, more so than some of Mick's other albums. Better than Zen Diagrams? Sure. Better than Saudade, then? Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Of course Mick Chillage would have an album out on Fantasy Enhancing. It's more a question of how many albums he'll have on the label run by his Autumn Of Communion partner. He's up to two now, and that doesn't include the items made in tandem with Lee Norris or Árni Grétar (ooh, new Skau Atlantic, say wha...!). What I wonder, however, is exactly which of his projects gets consideration for which labels. Like, does he offer one stylistic album to Carpe Sonum Records, then something completely different for Databloem? Why has Neotantra landed three LPs, but Touched only two? Is all this rendered moot now that Mick's taken to self-releasing his own stuff, even setting up a label (Before & After Silence Recordings) to do so?
Of-course of course, what sets Fantasy Enhancing apart from all these other prints is the prestigious DVD-sized packaging their releases come with (box-sets, too). It makes you feel like you're getting something extra-special, the sort of item one proudly displays upon your shelves. Surely, then, an artist like Mick Chillage would want his best music on a product with the best packaging on the (CD) market. Seems appropriate.
Does that make Intervals Of Light the best Mick Chillage album? Heck if I know, I've only heard about eight of them, while Lord Discogs lists about another fifty in his catalogue. I may never hear them all! Of what I have heard, however, Intervals Of Light certainly sits among the top half.
This is almost an entirely pure ambient album, and at just five tracks long, you might expect another one of Mick's more indulgent works. Not this one though, the noodling melodies actually feeling like they're going places worth seeing, even on the twenty-one minute long titular track. This is the sort of ambient you'd likely have found on ultra-obscure mini-discs in the '90s, most likely made on an Italian print. It may not sound like much just playing in the background, but gosh, those lovely, gentle tones, they sure do seem to last forever, and wouldn't mind them carrying on for even longer, no sir.
Of the four other tracks, two breach sixteen minutes, the others eight. Time Zones makes good use of its runtime, going on a nice little journey of various ambient sounds, samples, and tones, the sort of weightlessness one might sense while about airports. Acuapor and Wavelength bring some some rhythmic energy to the floaty synth pad action, more so the latter, while final track To Journey Without You goes all upper-astral on your aural centres.
So in all, a tidy little collection of pleasant tracks, with melodies that, while don't leap out and coddle your cochlea, should send your headspace into soothing serenity. I like this one, is what I'm saying, and even sticks with me after it plays, more so than some of Mick's other albums. Better than Zen Diagrams? Sure. Better than Saudade, then? Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Saturday, June 5, 2021
Various - In Trance We Trust 022: Menno de Jong
In Trance We Trust: 2018
Heck of a leap here, going from the earliest hard trance out of Germany, to the latest hard trance out of the Netherlands. Yet I can't help but regard the two a little similar. In their respective eras, both are quite niche, a sound primarily enjoyed by a select few in specialized scenes.
And you may think, how can that be true of In Trance We Trust? Isn't trance still the biggest gateway genre with guys like Armin van Buuren as popular as ever? His brand of barely-trance, sure, but that's not what we have here, Menno's style far too beefed up on steroid beats to be of any service for the masses. Why, all these breakdowns and builds actually lead to something, a propulsive explosion forward, none of that anti-drop business Dutch house is saturated with. This is 'second-room' music, the former domain of d'n'b at raves, now occupied by 140 BPM eurotrance because some folks just have energy to spare, and ain't no way the plodding bollocks played in main rooms will cut it.
Heck, Menno opens this edition of the label's mix CD series with psy trance! Well, as close to psy trance as we could ever expect. With its full-on bassline, spacey synth leads, and occasional wibbly fills, GMO's Forty-Two is honestly rather generic for prog-psy, but loads more interesting as an opener than nearly anything I've heard out of In Trance We Trust. That's followed by a Liquid Soul & Zyce rub on Paul Oakenfold's Full Moon Party that's rather goa-leaning itself. Yes, that Oakenfold, when he re-dabbled a bit in goa a decade ago. Goodness, are we in for a complete re-invention of the In Trance We Trust brand, bringing psy to the party in a bid to maintain underground cred? Heck, I see a Flowjob track among the label's recent singles!
Yeah, no, Menno's own Ananda bringing things back to the usual sounds we're familiar with. Actually, this tune reminds me more of older In Trance We Trust, with a solid, strident hook and all, but even that bit of nostalgia bait (plus another updated remix of Beautiful Things) quickly succumbs to the 'steroid trance'. As I've said before, I don't mind this stuff too much, so long as the breakdowns don't last long, and the mastering gives some room for the synths to breathe. There's a few tracks in here that are hilariously bricked though (dear Lord, does Amir Hussain's Mana ever sound buried under the over-driven beats), and I can't help but start checkingmy watch the tracklist as the set carries on. Spoiled by the tease of psy at the beginning, I guess.
So In Trance We Trust 022, despite the slight hint/tease of evolution at the start, is mostly more of the same from Menno's relaunch of the label. I like it better than where its been, but still feel it's only three-fourths of all that it could be. Needs to rid itself of tired eurotrance tropes, methinks.
Heck of a leap here, going from the earliest hard trance out of Germany, to the latest hard trance out of the Netherlands. Yet I can't help but regard the two a little similar. In their respective eras, both are quite niche, a sound primarily enjoyed by a select few in specialized scenes.
And you may think, how can that be true of In Trance We Trust? Isn't trance still the biggest gateway genre with guys like Armin van Buuren as popular as ever? His brand of barely-trance, sure, but that's not what we have here, Menno's style far too beefed up on steroid beats to be of any service for the masses. Why, all these breakdowns and builds actually lead to something, a propulsive explosion forward, none of that anti-drop business Dutch house is saturated with. This is 'second-room' music, the former domain of d'n'b at raves, now occupied by 140 BPM eurotrance because some folks just have energy to spare, and ain't no way the plodding bollocks played in main rooms will cut it.
Heck, Menno opens this edition of the label's mix CD series with psy trance! Well, as close to psy trance as we could ever expect. With its full-on bassline, spacey synth leads, and occasional wibbly fills, GMO's Forty-Two is honestly rather generic for prog-psy, but loads more interesting as an opener than nearly anything I've heard out of In Trance We Trust. That's followed by a Liquid Soul & Zyce rub on Paul Oakenfold's Full Moon Party that's rather goa-leaning itself. Yes, that Oakenfold, when he re-dabbled a bit in goa a decade ago. Goodness, are we in for a complete re-invention of the In Trance We Trust brand, bringing psy to the party in a bid to maintain underground cred? Heck, I see a Flowjob track among the label's recent singles!
Yeah, no, Menno's own Ananda bringing things back to the usual sounds we're familiar with. Actually, this tune reminds me more of older In Trance We Trust, with a solid, strident hook and all, but even that bit of nostalgia bait (plus another updated remix of Beautiful Things) quickly succumbs to the 'steroid trance'. As I've said before, I don't mind this stuff too much, so long as the breakdowns don't last long, and the mastering gives some room for the synths to breathe. There's a few tracks in here that are hilariously bricked though (dear Lord, does Amir Hussain's Mana ever sound buried under the over-driven beats), and I can't help but start checking
So In Trance We Trust 022, despite the slight hint/tease of evolution at the start, is mostly more of the same from Menno's relaunch of the label. I like it better than where its been, but still feel it's only three-fourths of all that it could be. Needs to rid itself of tired eurotrance tropes, methinks.
Sunday, May 23, 2021
Yamaoka - A Frozen Stream
Carpe Sonum Records: 2018
It's been a couple years since I last talked about Yamoaka, plenty of time to have dove deep into his extensive back-catalogue. Sadly, I have not done so, which is weird given how much I enjoyed his collaborative album with Purl, Simple Songs. I must have been so wrapped up in Purlmania (really, an extension of Silent Seasonmania), that I overlooked Yamoaka's contributions to that album as something worth further exploration. I can't even cop to grabbing A Frozen Stream as the start of my course correction, nabbing it because the striking cover art caught my attention in another Carpe Sonum Records raid. But man, after listening to this one, I definitely need to do more digging into Yamaoka's discography, his Databloem material at bare minimum.
And what exactly is the Yamaoka stylee? Looping music done on the fly, for the most part, with a heavy dose of echo such that his sounds tend to create rhythms of their own, while melodies shimmer in a staccato fashion. Most would name-drop The Field or Gas in comparison, while I naturally refer to Rapoon. None are entirely accurate though, Yamaoka finding his own niche with such techniques. Whereas the others often use samples, lending their loops to a more angular feel, Yamaoka crafts his live, creating a natural flow in his tracks. His contributions to Simple Songs certainly stand out now that I know what to listen for, Purl's work reliant on backing pads in dubby treatments in that album. A Frozen Stream is Yamaoka on his own, so less of that, but still just as much of a trancey journey.
Aaah, not the 'j' word! Okay, yeah, that's overselling things a little. This is all just a little too abstract for a proper journey album, but each piece is a lovely little ride while they play. Some are rather upbeat without relying on much of percussion, if at all (Shaman, Three Stairs), while others use sparse kicks, toms, and hi-hats (Reply, MB (Short), Room (Fade In), leading the music into the domain of melodic, hypnotic techno. Or ambient techno. Or neo-trance. Whatever you prefer.
There's also a few pure ambient pieces on A Frozen Stream but even these have subtle looping elements to them rather than traditional drone. Tracks like White Out and Seat even hint at some modern classical touches in Yamaoka's repertoire, which wouldn't surprise me considering one of his Databloem albums is titled Short Films For Long Days.
The only real odd-man out on this lovely little album is On Switch, a track that is so rhythm reliant, I couldn't help but think of Amon Tobin as it played. It certainly has plenty of time to stretch, breaking the ten-minute mark and all. While some of the gentle, sparkly synth tones still lend a sense of tranquility to the track, the drums are drastically harsh compared to what's come before. Be prepared for a sudden whiplash should you choose to doze off to A Frozen Stream.
It's been a couple years since I last talked about Yamoaka, plenty of time to have dove deep into his extensive back-catalogue. Sadly, I have not done so, which is weird given how much I enjoyed his collaborative album with Purl, Simple Songs. I must have been so wrapped up in Purlmania (really, an extension of Silent Seasonmania), that I overlooked Yamoaka's contributions to that album as something worth further exploration. I can't even cop to grabbing A Frozen Stream as the start of my course correction, nabbing it because the striking cover art caught my attention in another Carpe Sonum Records raid. But man, after listening to this one, I definitely need to do more digging into Yamaoka's discography, his Databloem material at bare minimum.
And what exactly is the Yamaoka stylee? Looping music done on the fly, for the most part, with a heavy dose of echo such that his sounds tend to create rhythms of their own, while melodies shimmer in a staccato fashion. Most would name-drop The Field or Gas in comparison, while I naturally refer to Rapoon. None are entirely accurate though, Yamaoka finding his own niche with such techniques. Whereas the others often use samples, lending their loops to a more angular feel, Yamaoka crafts his live, creating a natural flow in his tracks. His contributions to Simple Songs certainly stand out now that I know what to listen for, Purl's work reliant on backing pads in dubby treatments in that album. A Frozen Stream is Yamaoka on his own, so less of that, but still just as much of a trancey journey.
Aaah, not the 'j' word! Okay, yeah, that's overselling things a little. This is all just a little too abstract for a proper journey album, but each piece is a lovely little ride while they play. Some are rather upbeat without relying on much of percussion, if at all (Shaman, Three Stairs), while others use sparse kicks, toms, and hi-hats (Reply, MB (Short), Room (Fade In), leading the music into the domain of melodic, hypnotic techno. Or ambient techno. Or neo-trance. Whatever you prefer.
There's also a few pure ambient pieces on A Frozen Stream but even these have subtle looping elements to them rather than traditional drone. Tracks like White Out and Seat even hint at some modern classical touches in Yamaoka's repertoire, which wouldn't surprise me considering one of his Databloem albums is titled Short Films For Long Days.
The only real odd-man out on this lovely little album is On Switch, a track that is so rhythm reliant, I couldn't help but think of Amon Tobin as it played. It certainly has plenty of time to stretch, breaking the ten-minute mark and all. While some of the gentle, sparkly synth tones still lend a sense of tranquility to the track, the drums are drastically harsh compared to what's come before. Be prepared for a sudden whiplash should you choose to doze off to A Frozen Stream.
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