Ikjoyce - Cosmonaut

Neotantra: 2019

I didn't think it'd take me this long in returning to Neotantra, given how many of their releases I've bought since reviewing Wurrm's album. The offshoot of Fantasy Enhacing (itself an offshoot Neo Ouija) recently celebrated its twenty-fifth album, and a pattern of intent has definitely formed. A colourful pattern, wherein one must get them all, lest the gradient's purity be diminished. Erm, not that I'm implying some psychological manipulation in Neotantra's marketing, but I cannot deny it is a tad triggering for OCD types. *cough* *scratch of head* *tug of collar*

But no, the pattern I've seen form with Neotantra is in their choice of talent exposure. For sure you have the usual suspects within Lee Norris' orbit (Mick Chillage, Ambidextrous, Futuregrapher), but many new and unknown names too. Well, maybe not unknown to the savviest of heads out there, but certainly those with scant Discoggian presence, some of which are getting a nice little visibility bump by being on Neotantra.

That isn't to say this here Ikjoyce lacks for material within Lord Discogs' tomes. Dude's been highly prolific this past half-decade, over twenty albums to his name, plus another dozen assorted EPs and whatnot. Aside from the album Selene and this here Cosmonaut, it's almost entirely been self-released by Mr. Joyce, which is cool if you don't mind the hustle, but does limit how much exposure you can get. He was a frequent contributor to Electronic Music Philosphy's series of 'challenge compilations', where producers were tasked with creating a track with specific features (ie: Short Drones, Plunderphonics, You Can't Have Too Much Reverb, 808 Cowbell). I did fire up Ikjoyce's Spotify for a quick dive, and despite dozing off for seven hours after starting it, the streaming service still hadn't cycled through all that he has there.

I guess that's my roundabout way of saying that, despite 'trying' to take in his body of work, I'm still coming into Cosmonaut a little cold, unsure how this stacks up to the greater Ikjoyce discography. What I can say is this album has a bit of an old school, drone ambient vibe going for it, which is at times lovely, but also rather dithering, depending on the track.

The opener A Warm Embrace, and longest piece at over thirteen minutes goes mostly atonal and metallic, gradually letting the harmonious 'warmth' in. The subsequent tracks are more minimalist, though All Is Calm is quite tranquil in its sparse tones. It's not until track four, the first of two titular parts on Cosmonaut, that we get into some 'planetarium' ambient vibes, a lovely ten-minute piece that makes all the lead-up worth the wait.

The remaining tracks maintain that spacey vibe, Orbital Manoeuvres and Interception even getting a rhythmic pulse in their synth work. Cosmonaut ends on another blissy titular rendition, clearly making this album one of two halves. I quite liked the second, but some may prefer the more experimental first. Or like the little Mexican girl says, why not both?

36 - C45 Dreamloops 5-6

3six Recordings: 2019

Am I a hypocrite, liking 36's brand of overtly emotional music so much? I've gone on and on about how obvious sentimentality can turn other forms of music into hokey tripe (Dutch eurotrance the most egregious example), so you'd think I'd have similar thoughts on Mr. Huddleston's brand of ambient. This is a genre built around nuance and subtlety, freeform music making and abstract concepts. For sure Dennis does this too, but when he goes big on the emotional front, it's all in. Yet slide an overwrought breakdown and generic trance beat under some of these melodies, and I'd likely be rolling my eyes to the back of my head.

I honestly don't have an answer for this. Whatever it is that Dennis does with his compositions, it just hits that perfect sweet spot for yours truly, sometimes pushing close to the brink but never crossing that threshold. It's like the difference between perfectly crafted cheese, and a lump of dairy product that'll give you the lactose-runs. I suppose if a 36 track does get to be too much, I can always wash the palette with another D#m session from Michael Mantra.

But nay, I'm far from reaching that point with these Dreamloops. Even after four sessions and ninety minutes, the concept hasn't grown stale or run out of musical ideas. Yet here's Dreamloop 5, with a lovely three-chord sequence of layered pads that feels like the cosmos itself is doing meditative breathing, all the while a gentle piano plays along in support. That may sound New Agey, but something about the 36 stylee transcends such hokum, never sounding cliched or forced. And got'dang, when those airy choir pads emerge, escalating the emotional resonance within this piece, how can one not feel as though your soul's getting a good cleansing scrub? This keeps going for a full twenty-two and a half minutes, never growing tired or repetitive, only leaving this person feeling strangely refreshed in mind and soul. Hey, it takes a lot for me to get these sort of feels from music, and by gum, I ain't gonna hold back on the hyperbolic praise when it does.

I'm honestly rather thankful Dennis decides to tone things down a little for Dreamloop 6. There's definitely still an emotional undercurrent here, but doesn't quite build the same way the previous Dreamloops do. We're mostly in drone ambient territory here, synth pads harmonized in a warbly-warped sort of way (the authentic tape sound!). Different tones and timbre come and go throughout, the sparsest of piano occasionally heard beneath stretched melodies. And geez'it, that final, melancholy fade-out, sounding like a dirge coming from the catacombs of Cryo Chamber. How did this piece turn so dark and lonesome at the end? Considering how sparse the actual musical ideas are between these two Dreamloops, this EP sure takes one on quite the ride of emotions.

Perhaps a sad conclusion is fitting though, as this concludes 36's Dreamloops sessions. For now...

Red Fog - Buried On Vanth

Reverse Alignment: 2015

I've had this album for a couple years now, and it still vexes me. Because there is no trace of the title on the cover art, I keep thinking the album's called Red Fog. Which is weird for something that appears to be cosmic drone, but dark ambient's gone to plenty of strange spaces. After some coaxing though, I remember that the artist's name is Red Fog, and this is his album Buried In Fog. No, that's not right. I mean, it'd be the completely logical assumption, but doesn't make sense since this is clearly something with a cosmic lean. Ah, it's Vanth Red Fog is buried in. Uh, what does that mean? Like, is 'vanth' some sort of state of mind? Oops, my brain still hasn't figured it out yet. It's Buried On Vanth, as in a place. Gosh, is that some made up planet within a larger Red Fog lore, where Enceledus' southern pole is serving as a stand-in? Maybe I should Wiki this...

Ah, Vanth is an actual place, a moon to the trans-Neptunian object known as Orcus. Huh, I didn't even know such a Kuiper belt dwarf existed. My attention is always drawn to the famous ones (Pluto, Eris, Sedna) and the funny-named ones (Makemake, Gonggong, Quaoar, 2006 HJ). It does have a unique resonance with Neptune's orbit, and essentially sits opposite of Pluto in its solar orbit, giving it a nickname of 'anti-Pluto'. Fascinating stuff, and I can see why Red Fog would find inspiration in dark ambient drone set in such a remote, obscure plot of frozen wasteland.

Okay, enough of the astronomy course. A cursory search didn't reveal much about who Red Fog is, but he/she/they have been active this past decade with various digital items out on DNA Production, aReW recordings and, ooh, Arecibo Records. Most of Red Fog's material comes with cover art that's quite red indeed, save a couple wintery items and... a Neon Room? Well, can't say the project isn't diverse in its dark drone concepts.

But yes, this is very much a pure drone outing, with tracks at double-digits in length slowly evolving with open spaces and minute sounds. For something that claims to be 'buried', I didn't get a sense of claustrophobia with these pieces, but it sure was difficult making out details from the near-total lack of light. It does feel like you're being kept in cryo-stasis, patiently waiting for the great thaw to awaken you from your slumber, an almost calming effect upon your psyche.

Then, in the final track Wired Through Spectral Tranquility, a jolt of electricity knocks you out of your slumber. It's not quite enough to stir you to full consciousness again, as the piece ebbs back into subdued, minimalist dronescape, but you can't help but notice a slowly escalating tension to the sounds you hear. Suddenly, a whining sound like a starship reactor pierces the murk, then silence once more. Aww, I forgot to wave as it passed by.

Master Margherita - Border 50

Ultimae Records: 2018

For much of Ultimae's history, there was a sense its musical talent being nurtured in-house. Most of their early acts had their break-outs with the label, while other producers who'd wandered into its sphere had some of their biggest exposure with Aes Dana's print. All well and good and creating something of an exclusivity aura about your label, but I can't help but wonder if it hampered Ultimae's long-term prospects when its alum drifted elsewhere. After all, what journeyman producer would even bother sending demos to the ritziest country club on the continent?

Which is what makes this album from Master Margherita all the more unique to Ultimae's catalogue, an active producer since the start of this century. One Moreno Antognini, he's mostly self-released material through his own Casalinga Production print, but bounced around other labels too (Peak Records, Electrik Dream Records, Blue Hour Sounds). He's also had a robust compilation presence over the past two decades, mostly appearing on downtempo and chill-out collections, but a little psy-trance too. I even crossed paths with him before, on the 2007 Waveform Records outing Waveform Transmissions (Volume One). And... can this be right? A track on the Steve Lawler triple-CD set Viva on Ministry Of Sound? That can't be the same Master Margherita, but if it is, man is that ever a deep dig on Mr. Lawler's part.

Still, ol' Moreno was doing all this with nary a connecting dot to Ultimae. Then in 2015, he released the double-album Afro Dots, which got a spiffy Ultimae Mixdown™ from Aes Dana, plus a track on the Ultimae free-comp Enfold 01. And just like that, Master Margherita is part of the cool-kids club! (okay, the association goes back a little earlier, Aes Dana also doing a mastering job on the 2011 album The Marginal Rules, but c'mon, the pun was right there!).

So it seemed appropriate that Mr. Antognini would release something proper with the label, perhaps some sort of retrospective or summation of the Master Margherita stylee. That's certainly what I thought in my initial go-throughs with Border 50, what with all these mixes, dubs, and alternative takes. Plus, for a generally drone-heavy ambient record, there's a fair bit of stylistic difference between each track. Cosmogram features '70s era space synths, while Shruti One has soft woodwinds and gentle tribal drumming. Geophilous is almost an acoustic drone outing, but Extending Downwards is pure synth drone. So much disparity in sounds on this album, surely they must all come from various points in M.M.'s extensive discography.

But no, these are all originals for Border 50. Turns out ol' Moreno is one of those electronic artists that likes adding 'Mix' or 'Dub' to nearly everything he releases. Still, all these different ambient passages and vintage synth textures sound lovely with the Ultimae Mixdown™ on them, and have seldom been heard in the label's history. And hey, there's even a 'dub techno' outing in the titular track, just in case you need your contemporary Ultimae fix.

36 - Black Soma

3six Recordings: 2017

Obviously this was an instant-purchase for yours truly. Mr. Huddleston taking his 36 project ever further into 'space music' territory after the Sine Dust sessions? Just inject the music straight into my occipital cortex! That wasn't enough for Dennis though. He had to go ahead and include the Sine Dust and Tomorrow's Explorers EPs in with Black Soma as a bonus second CD. My God! Those two are super-high in my “Records I'd Buy For A Record Collection I'll Never Have” list, and now I have them in a physical format anyway? Sure, it'd be nice if their original artwork was included with the inlay, but I'll still take 'em.

Before getting into those extras though, let's get into the album proper. As mentioned, Black Soma is something of a continuation of the space inspired EPs that sprung off from Void Dance and shut up, just take my money already. Or is this following on from themes set up by Lithea and Dream Tempest, what with the similar artwork? Seriously though, this is a bit of a different focus 36 has taken from before, most of his albums generally all about those mood setters and emotional gut-punches. While this one hardly lacks in those departments either, there's more of a sense of place and imagery going on here, ambient music less about the abstract atmosphere than it is painting a setting. Or at least, so long as you read the track titles. Who knows what wayward themes you could conjure without some guiding hint.

So while the titular opener mostly features choir pads among 36's usual string and pad tones, follow-up Black Sustain flows on that with, well, sustained pad drones, gradually building and escalating with opulent grandeur. Never one to hold back out from the gate, that Dennis. Black Halcyon goes for the sentimental jugular, with a touch of piano that just might have you reminded of the opening of that Orbital track. Black Shore features the sound of waves lapping upon the beach. Black Sun and Black Future imparts something of a reflective tone, contemplation of our place in all this emptiness. Black Sleep is pure tranquility, while finale Black Cascade shimmers like several points of light washing down on you.

And... it's over, just like that. Aww, was just getting warmed up. Fortunately, there's that tasty second CD to detail, though in some ways I feel like I've talked about this a bunch already. Sine Dust and Sun Riders both had extra love when I covered Sine Dust Versions, though Tomorrow's Explorers is all original music, including one of his longer pieces in the titular cut. Wish I could say I was equally enraptured by these tracks as the Sine Dust ones, but the more traditional use of string pads, and even a little Berlin School action, leave these feeling less effective in reducing my soul to a puddle of melancholic-goo. Hey, if that's the 'worst' criticism I can give this album, how can anyone complain?

Valanx - Tidelands

Reverse Alignment: 2018

Before I get into this album, a tip of the hat (toast of the beer; solute of the scapula) to Reverse Alignment, as the label has retired. I do this because they were my first tentative forays into the wider world of dark ambient, away from the comforting womb of Cryo Chamber. While it was familiar names like Dronny Darko and SiJ that lured me there, discovering further works from names like Ajna and B°TONG clued me into how much more this genre had to offer. I likely would have discovered other labels regardless, but props to Reverse Alignment for being there when the time was right.

Valanx is Arne Weinberg, a German who spent much of the '00s in the world of techno. Not that fussy, stuffy minimal stuff, but true-blue Detroit-nodding robot music, at a time when doing so wasn't as fashionable. As the decade turned, he moved on from that to start exploring other musical avenues, including a venture into Echocord dub techno as Onmutu Mechanicks (because of course). Valanx appears to have been the most fruitful of these projects though, first appearing with Xenolith in 2012 on diametric., followed by a number of albums and EPs in the following half-decade. Tidelands was released with it being a capper to the Valanx project, and perhaps his musical career for the time being as well, his Discoggian info ending after the album's release. Just like Reverse Alignment!

Unlike some nebulously conceptual dark ambient albums, Tidelands is crystal-clear about its theme: exploration of a waterworld. Only this isn't some adventurous romp in search of dryland while fending off diesel pirates led by a one-eyed Dennis Hopper. No, this is a world devoid of any hope for humanity, the oceans reclaiming the planet for itself, suffocating all land life, to say nothing of wiping out their achievements. Track titles like Drowned, Neverending Waves & Currents, and God Of The Maelstrom paint a remarkably bleak picture indeed.

Oddly, the actual music within, such as it is, doesn't sound terribly aquatic. This is mostly a drone album, with heavy emphasis on minimalist soundscape, but much of Arne's production features distant echoes and reverb on background effects, lending the tracks to a more cavernous aesthetic. If I had no track titles or concept info, I'd swear Tidelands was about spelunking, or maybe journeying to the centre of the Earth. Where you find ancient ruins.

So this is a fairly droning, bleak album, though a couple 'bright' spots do emerge. Neverending Waves & Currents features something of a meditative monk chant as part of its drone cycle. In The Deep, Where He Reigns Almighty is almost blissful and serene in its shimmering dronescape. And finally, the final titular track is surprisingly uplifting, finding a dry respite from the oceanic desolation. Haha, just kidding, this is the creepiest piece on the album, as though venturing into completely alien territory for the first time. Must have been what it felt like for the first air breathers.

Dead Melodies - Primal Destination

Cryo Chamber: 2019

It's funny how circumstance can affect one's engagement with the music they consume. For sure we want suitable soundtracks to the events of our lives: rockin', high energy stuff for heading out on the town; chill, unobtrusive sounds for downtimes; smooth grooves for sexy shenanigans. When some feel glum and gloom, there's nothing like a little dark ambient to placate the mood. And four years ago, I was feelin' that dark ambient vibe indeed. Yeah, I'd been intrigued by the genre for a couple years prior, but after that happened... hoo boy. Possibly some of my most inspired prose was written during that period, regarding this particular style of music.

Yet things kinda' seem just a bit... better now? Not as good as they could or should be, oh no. Just... better. Makes me wonder whether dark ambient all-oppressive mood will be as relatable anymore, or will return to the 'conceptual escapism' status I previous held it as.

I haven't kept much tab on Dead Melodies since I last reviewed the project, but Tom Moore does remain active, especially in the year 2020. He's even gone a little noir with Zenjungle in Anthropocene, which I may pick up down the line, but for now, we're in high-concept territory in this album, Primal Destination.

In fact, we're getting in on a little sci-fi action here, if the miniscule spaceman in the cover art wasn't enough of an indication. I suppose the astrophysics patterns and and ancient stargate is a handy clue too. Or is this an inter-dimensional portal? This cover has me thinking space, but many of the track titles don't really suggest as such: Superdrone Descent, Pearlescent Dawn, Subterraformed, Glades. Gosh, now that I look at the figure on the cover harder, I wonder if that's even a spacesuit. Looks more like radiation garb, the sort of thing one might wear when traversing volcanic regions. No, don't go in there! Who knows what horrors you'll find! Dammit, why don't they listen when I'm screaming at them from my meatspace?

Primal Destination starts out relatively calm and tranquil in that cinematic drone sort of way, the first couple tracks lulling you into a sense of serenity. Third piece Pearlescent Dawn comes off more ominous though, as though your environment is growing more askew the further you travel. And while Glades may initially conjure images dewy, rolling hills of grass, there's nothing peaceful about Mr. Moore's use of field recordings here, the sort of sounds that will have you jumping at shadows from the periphery of your sight (damn you, Xtro!).

From there, it's the steady descent into, well, primal thoughts and instincts, your reptile brain getting all itchy and twitchy from the sounds Dead Melodies utilizes. Save some orchestral manipulations in Fields Of Sleep, it's not until final track The Wake Of Man does something resembling calm and rationality enter back into the discourse. Ah, the steadying breath of the wise man's brain in action.

Sphäre Sechs - Particle Void

Cryo Chamber: 2018

Seems I'm once again on a little space theme run with the current clutch of reviews, which wouldn't be complete without the good ol' dark ambient contingent cropping up for their say. You can't talk space music without bringing up the potential bleakness of it all. Yeah, it's nice to be awestruck by nebulae beauty and mesmerized by astrophysics ballet, but there's a whole lot of nothing out there too. Empty, soul-crushing desolation, wondrous worlds impossibly far and distant, such that there's no hope of ever seeing them up close and personal. Never mind even attempting to get there would involve navigating among molecule-shredding radiation and Cthulhu knows what in the form of exotica erupting from mega death black holes. No hope, no hope at all.

Sphäre Sechs is the work of two chaps, Martin Stürtzer and Christian Stritzel (sounds like a German comedy duo). Martin has been quite active in dark ambient circles for a decade and a half now, primarily releasing material under the alias of Phelios. Much of it is of the droning sort, with occasional modern classical flourishes here and there, of various themes and ideas explored. More recently he's been releasing material under his own name under his own Echo Elberfeld label. Ooh, I spy something called The Omarion Nebula (only DS9 dorks will get that).

Mr. Stritzel has far less Discoggian presence, only appearing in collaboration with Mr. Stürtzer, a modified Theremin his primary 'instrument' in the group. The duo goes as far back as 2007's Klang Ist Ewig, but half a decade later, they adopted the Sphäre Sechs project handle, releasing Tiefschlaf on Malignant Records. Fast forward a little later, and they've brought their cosmic soundscapes to Cryo Chamber, debuting on the label with this here Particle Void. Tale as old as time.

As an album, Particle Void is straight-forward enough. Eight tracks, most hovering in the five-to-six minute range, offering varying tones of drone while holding a general mood of cosmic emptiness. While a low thrum is maintained throughout each piece, droning sounds and pads ebb and flow as though in a trance-inducing meditative breath. Sometimes there's a sense of awe in the surroundings, as in Multiverse and Transference. Other times abject fear, as though bearing witness to it all is simply too much for the human brain to handle (Temporal Transition, Achernar). And gosh, is that a touch of the melancholy I hear in Cepheid? Sadness at forever being trapped in our corporeal forms, unable to traverse into theoretical inter-dimensional portals without our atoms getting speghettified across the cosmos? Or maybe that's what's going on in final track Radiation Phase, a slowly building drone piece that includes the subtlest of rhythmic pulses.

By the way, where's the Theremin? I don't hear anything on this album that reminds me of pulpy sci-fi of the '50s. Is Christian's manipulations of the quirky electronic instrument so extreme that it sound alien to that which we know? Seems about right for an album like this.

Ugasanie - Ice Breath Of Antarctica

Cryo Chamber: 2018

I won't deny having some favouritism towards icy-cool looking cover art, but it's generally spread out among my other albums so it doesn't become a running theme. This is the third album out of the last four to go wintry though, enough that I'm sure some folks are wondering if something more than biased interest is going on. Heck, it could have been the fourth, but I held off on grabbing Ensiferum's From Afar – have enough Viking metal for now, thanks.

It wouldn't be so bad if we were going through a typical summer, with the heat and the drought and the forest fires and all. Some parts of North America are getting that as usual, yeah, but not in my neck of the rain forests. It's been comically dark and grey these past couple months, some of the wettest on record, with humidity you can practically swim in. Not that I want a return to the years of beige lawns and a constant layer of acrid haze in the air, but nor this far extreme the other way. Just enough that listening to a whole pile of CDs with frozen landscapes as the cover art is a soothing escape, not a reminder of miserable weather.

Actually, even in those ideal conditions, I'd hardly call Ice Breath Of Antarctica a 'soothing escape'. In traditional Ugasanie manner, we're taken to a realm of utter desolation, where no sane human being should wish to tread. In theory at least, but the south polar region has its share of tourists eagre to see penguins and southern elephant seals and... um, other fauna local to the ice caps while they last. Only during the summer months though. And preferably when there's ideal weather. While in the company of others, so as not to get lost roaming about. Pretty much the exact opposite of the conditions Ugasanie presents to us in this album, is what I'm getting at.

While Pavel has been Cryo Chamber's go-to guy for all things frozen over, his albums still typically have specific themes in mind. Explorations of abandoned Siberian science stations, the mental state of being overcome by the northern lights, and so on. No such 'journey' happens in Ice Breath Of Antarctica, unless you count being consumed in the absolute worst conditions you could possibly endure while venturing there. Second track Shores Of Antarctica is basically five minutes of bellowing winds whipping your face with freezing sleet before settling into the sort of empty, minimalist drone that's long been this label's breaded butter. You are alone in desolation, absolutely alone. Not even a stray penguin in sight.

The whole album basically plays out like that, unrelenting in consuming you within the polar continent's harsh climate. Some tracks feature sounds of being emersed within slow-moving ice, others offer a brief respite with quiet, reflective harmonies carried along the wind. Almost as if Ugasanie is asking, “well, what did you expect of the lands even The Thing couldn't survive in?”

Saitoh Tomohiro - Drawing Line And The Curve

Databloem: 2018

So remember when I bought a big ol' Databloem bundle, and spent the better part of last year (or two) getting through it all? Turns out I missed one! I know I've done this before, but it still boggles my mind that I can accidentally skip some CDs in my orderly queue, getting lost among all the other piles I let build up. What, I could just not buy numerous items until I'm all caught up? Balderdash, no one has such will-power, I tell you. No one! Even the sagest of Bhudda monks would be all like, “Damn, I gotta' get me that latest Fantasy Enhancing CD before the limited 100 run out!” Scarcity is a remarkable motivator.

I can't be entirely to blame for this one getting lost in the shuffle. I know nothing of Saitoh Tomohiro, so an album from the man wasn't high on my 'must hear' priorities. Plus, the cover art is part of Databloem's unassuming 'colour smear' period. I actually bought all the early CDs of this pseudo-series, but the others came in colours that always catch my eye (primarily blue), whereas red... eh, just doesn't resonate as much with me. So while Kaleidos, Upwelling: Emergence and Atlantic Fusion (Simple Songs too, kinda') easily stuck out and couldn't slip by if they tried, Drawing Line And The Curve didn't. Grammatically odd title wasn't helpful either.

And even if I had done some research digging before buying, Lord Discogs wouldn't have been terribly helpful with Saitoh Tomohiro. His most prominent work is as one-half of Colbets, who released five albums over five labels within a (approximately) five year span. Only one of these albums, Far Away From The Light, saw anything resembling a proper release (on Japanese ambient dub techno print AY; bvdub has appeared there). This here Databloem debut is his solo debut period, with practically no inlay or PR blurb detailing what his deal is. Sure making this a hard sell, lads.

But hey, Drawing Line And The Curves is quite nice, far as ambient is concerned – would you expect anything less from Databloem? While there is some of that Japanese 'tonal harmony with sporadic glitch' thing going on here, this is mostly a straight-forward outing in the genre, with the layered synth pads, varied gentle tones, droning soundscapes, and the like. There's a general theme of 'twilight atmosphere' throughout, whether losing oneself in foggy forests or city stargazing, and plays out in a rather traditional sort of way, with shorter pieces interspersed with longer ones, though nothing ever breaching the ten-minute mark.

Then, you notice something odd. One of these pieces seems to be going on longer than you thought it would. It's like it never ends, and you can't help but take notice how much in stark contrast it stands with everything else. Then you check the liner notes, and see the final piece lasts nearly twenty minutes, titled Day Will Break Soon. Given the theme of the rest of the album, that's apt.

Moljebka Pvlse - Discourse On Lightness

Reverse Alignment: 2017

I'd forgotten how intimidating it was venturing away from the comforting warm embrace of Cryo Chamber for my dark ambient and drone fix. So many artists out there, with distinct traits and approaches, all with strange exotic artwork. It's been a spell since I last took in a release from Reverse Alignment, and for good reason. I'd more or less tapped out all the names I was already familiar with (Ajna, Dronny Dark, SiJ) and had mostly sprung for all the albums with artwork that caught my eye (your Graders, The Long Journeys, and Buried On Vanths). Beyond that would be completely uncharted territory for yours truly, no easing in.

So headfirst into Discourse On Lightness I dove, for no other reason than it was catalogued nearby other albums I'd picked up from Reverse Alignment. And as is so often the case, I plucked out an artist with a fairly common story when it comes to these experimental drone sorts. Moljibeka Pvlse started releasing material in the early 2000's, floated about many labels (Cold Meat Industry, Fifth Week Records, AudioTONG, Gears Of Sand, Some Place Else) while maintaining his own label on the side (Isoramara). He eventually landed on Reverse Alignment, debuting there with A Transformation. Wait, that's not right. He actually appeared there a tad sooner, as the man behind Moljibeka Pvlse is Mathias Josefson, who was also part of Skare (of Grader fame). Huh, so I didn't go into this so utterly blind as I first thought.

Discourse On Lightness is Moljibeka Pvlse's second album on this label, with a yin-yang approach to the offered compositions. Three pieces are featured, each hovering around the twenty-minute mark (on the relative short side of things, where Josefson drone pieces are concerned). From the outset of A History Of Levitation, you're hit was one of those multi-layered, atonal, wall-of-sound drones that doesn't feel calm or relaxing in the slightest. I'd almost call it confrontational, but there's something strangely subtle about it too, like an undercurrent of melody that lulls you in for the duration. Supposedly, this is the 'yin' portion of the album.

Makes sense, as follow-up Between Lightness And Luminance is all about that stripped-down, minimalist, avante-garde symphonic sound. Sparse discordant strings, echoing field recordings and hushed vocal noises in empty chambers, creating a rather tense atmosphere as it plays out. The third track, A Field Guide To The Sunrise bridges the gap (completes the circle? fills the symbol?) between the two, mostly minimalist as well, morphing through creepier strings, bells and tones, but eventually transitioning into a rather tranquil, soothing stretch of ambience as the piece slowly winds down. Why yes, the 'sunrise' theme is quite apt.

So an interesting outing, this. Can't say I was a fan of the first two pieces, but the third does help put them in clearer context when taking in the album as a whole. As for how it relates to all the old-timey art within the inlay, I haven't a clue.

Atrium Carceri - Codex

Cryo Chamber: 2018

It's been a while since we returned to the on-going story Simon Heath is telling with his Atrium Carceri project. Maybe not as long as the Sabled Sun side-project, but that one did have a sense of finality to it with 2148. Heck, I'd argue it could have ended perfectly with the debut 2145, but that's neither here nor there. What's fascinating about A.C., however, is the fact Codex marks only the third mainline album under that banner since Mr. Heath set up Cryo Chamber. Plenty of collaborative works and joint concept works, absolutely, but to this point, only The Untold, Metropolis, and Codex have been solo works on the label. Does this mean the collaborative ones tie into the mainline narrative at all? Miles To Midnight sure doesn't seem to.

Thus these solo Atrium Carceri works are treated with a fair bit of awe and anticipation, exciting new chapters in whatever ongoing narrative there actually is between the three albums. Simon spared no expense in celebrating the third in the current-trilogy (two years later, still no fourth album), giving Codex the same lavish hardcover casing and picturesque booklet as some of those Cryo Chamber Collaboration releases. It's only appropriate to go whole hog on the package considering this is the label's one-hundredth release.

And we pick up right where we left off in The Void, that vintage all-encompassing cinematic dark ambient stylee Atrium Carceri built an empire upon. The mood is sombre, the atmosphere suffocating, the organs dominating, and your headspace transported to whatever bleak, uncompromising fallen society Mr. Heath has envisioned for us. A couple examples of choking drone follow, then Codex takes a surprising turn for the ...calm and blissful? Wait, what?

True, we've heard sombre piano pieces from Simon before, typically as contrast to whatever menace lurks in the surrounding tracks, but A Memory Lost remains shockingly lovely considering the lead-up. It's followed upon by The Empty Chapel however, with choir and ethereal pads that is almost angelic in presentation. Fits the theme of the track, I suppose, but can't say I've ever heard anything quite so pure ambient as this from this label (I've missed a fair bit in recent years, mind).

We go back to the foreboding cinematic drone after this, Mr. Heath taking us on another journey through old world domains, but its not so harrowing as works past. It's as though he wants us to be more in awe and worshipful of what we imagine than come away intimidated. But before you know it, Codex is wrapping up, another little piano piece in A Hunger Too Deep followed upon by a suitable denouement to the journey in The Citadel.

Gosh, that was rather a brisk listening experience. Felt like things were still warming up before coming to an end. Considering the anticipation, roll-out, and subsequent elapsed time since, I can't help but feel a tad let down by Codex's relative briefness. This dark ambient hunger don't sate itself.

Gas - Nah Und Fern: Pop

Mille Plateaux/Kompakt: 2000/2008

(a Patreon Request from Omskbird)

One of some dozen ambient albums you're supposed to have, particularly if you're not a fan of ambient music. Naturally, as someone who considers himself a connoisseur of the genre, such a consensus had me a little skeptical of Pop's adulation. It's no small task in paring a scene as long lasting and expansive as this one down to a select few Must Haves, the standouts demanding something truly unique to stand out from the glut of releases.

So when I gave Pop a whirl, I thought to myself, yeah, there's some nice sounding tones, looping samples into an otherworldly atmosphere one can easily lose their headspace in. Isn't this a style already covered by the likes of Zoviet France and Rapoon though? Maybe so, but I'm sure folks checking out the fourth Gas album on the basis of a glowing Pitchfork recommendation weren't the sort to have delved into industrial ambient's back catalogue. Still, I couldn't help but wonder why it was Wolfgang Voigt's project that got such attention from the indie sect, and I could only surmise it being out on Mille Plateaux, a label already gaining hipster cred from its clicks 'n' cuts series of glitch releases. Throw in the cheeky concept of this being a 'pop' album, so named from the choice of orchestral samples being on the lighter side of the music, and you've crafted quite the cocktail of indie swoon.

Such knee-jerk dismissals on my part should have no bearing on how this album holds up though, with plenty of time and distance from initial reactions. To which I say, for the most part, I enjoy this, and even manages to stand distinct from countless other ambient records released since that emulate the otherworldly warmth crafted here (and believe me, there's been plenty). I could leave the first two tracks off Pop, in that those clicky-hissy noises that serve as a pseudo-rhythm do nothing but grate on my senses, almost token throw-away glitch sounds required of a Mille Plateaux release. What are those anyway, money counting machines pitched way up? Just lay the layers of looping drone on me like a warm blanket, Wolf-mang!

Or hey, offer up some of those dubbed-out rhythms, though I'm glad to hear Mr. Voigt found a way to change those up some too, having grown a tad stale by Königsforst. Thus Pop IV features a looping rhythm that cheerfully bounces with an echoing bell tone. Elsewhere, we have the 'classic' Gas dub techno rhythm for the final fifteen-minute closer, lending the track a surprisingly grand atmosphere following all that drone. Pop music indeed.

Could I recommend other ambient albums over this? Yeah, probably, but if you're just getting your feet wet, Pop is as good of an entry point as any for getting a feel of the genre's myriad styles. I have no contention in seeing this appear on 'Best Of' lists. Just, y'know, don't act surprised when I don't include it my own mythical 'Best Of' list.

Gas - Nah Und Fern: Königsforst

Mille Plateaux/Kompakt: 1998/2008

(a Patreon Request fro Omskbird)

I must admit, when I got this Gas box-set, my initial plan wasn't to review these CDs in chronological order. Nay, I thought it'd be cheeky fun to do the original request first, Königsforst, then come back to the rest in my usual alphabetical order. For sure I'd make it clear these review copies came from Nah Und Fern, but my OCD wouldn't allow me to do it in any other order. Or something.

When I threw Königsforst on for the first time, however, I came to the quick conclusion that I was gonna' have to hear the rest of the Gas catalogue for context. Yeah, I'd heard Pop in the past, but something led me to suspect that wasn't enough. And if I'm to play through Nah Und Fern for 'studying' purposes, I may as well get those reviews done while I'm at it too.

As an aside of quirky factoids, when I ripped the CDs to my harddrive, they all did so as part of Nah Und Fern, except this one. I get why that would have happened with Gas, significantly different compared to the Mille Plateaux version as it is. Zauberberg did have a slight change too, one of its tracks extended compared to the original, but surely the digital version included this change as well. Like, I'm assuming that's why Königsforst defaulted to stand-alone info rather than the box-set, and that re-reissue is more current than Zauberberg's. Ah, I'm dawdling.

I guess it's clear my thoughts and feelings over Königsforst are lukewarm at best. I thought it at least interesting upon first playthrough, with Königsforst V being a definite highlight in invoking some actual emotion out of my brain. Plus, those stereo-pan kicks in Königsforst II did a remarkable job of keeping me entranced while all those dronescapes droned on. Unfortunately, I couldn't shake the sense I was listening to music as concept over music as engagement. Par for the course with experimental music, especially on a label like Mille Plateaux, but given the endless adulation Wolfgang Voigt's project has generated over the years, I wondered if I was missing something (not the first time I've had an issue with Gas).

Yet, I found those older albums more interesting than this. The raw exploration of Gas and the conceptual journey of Zauberberg simply struck my cerebellum better, whereas Königsforst just felt like Wolfgang going through the motions. Here are more orchestral samples stretched and layered into dronescapes, here are more dubbed-out beats emanating from the deepest parts of the forest. This album certainly encompasses all the elements you'd expect out of a Gas record, and does occasionally reach the lofty heights the project's decades-long praise has generated. Still, it's mostly carried by One Neat Trick. A rather clever one but at three albums deep now, not showing much in the way of evolution. Not that it needs to either, just I need to hear something more from the project get more invested in it.

Gas - Nah Und Fern: Zauberberg

Mille Plateaux/Kompakt: 1997/2008

(a Patreon Request fro Omskbird)

It didn't take Wolfgang Voigt long to figure out exactly what this Gas project could entail, so by the second album, he was feeling a little more experimental. Yes, experimental upon the already experimental nature of these looping, ambient-techno dronescapes. There's only so much one can do with the basic concept, and while it may be fine for some producers to keep recycling the same songcraft in different keys, Mr. Voigt did find a way to mix things up some in his sophomore Gas album, Zauberberg (named after a German book called The Magic Mountain - I know nothing about it, beyond it being a Very Important novel in the world of German novels).

Rather than maintaining one consistent mood throughout an LP's running length, he opted for a contrast, Zauberberg growing ever darker and bleak as the album progresses. Then, the ray of light at the end, knocking you out of your insular, depressive mood. Man, what kind of stroll through the woods must have Wolfgang had if this was the inspiration for his second Gas album? Incidentally, the original cover art for Zauberberg does a great job reflecting this atmosphere, what with its stark reds and blacks. It's a shame that art wasn't retained in some form for Nah Und Fern, even as a little booklet. Like, did Mille Plateaux own original rights to the photography? It is quite striking, especially for a label most famous for being purveyors of clicks 'n' cuts. Mmm, naturalist imagery, in an unnatural way.

Beyond the incremental tone shifting of the album, what struck me most about Zauberberg is how much felt space there is between the layered, droning strings and distant, muffled rhythms. I get why Mr. Voigt may feel the earlier Gas pieces weren't so reflective of the project's whole, the rhythms in the debut album more pronounced and direct compared to subdued, heartbeat throb of a bassline that'd define his later output. Now this is Art, none of that 'techno' nonsense! I keed, I keed...

Seriously though, by Zauberberg IV, the steady beat is almost completely muted, with a sombre, dissonant string section that reminds me of horror music. Following that, Zauberberg V actually gives its muted rhythm more prominence, but it's such a commanding marching beat with an almost equally distant strings, it feels like I'm watching a zombie WWII army move over German hills (from a safe distance). As Zauberberg VI plays out with eerie tones and drones, I can't help but wonder if I'm instead listening to a proper dark ambient project. Well, aside from that never-ending techno kick piercing the murk.

All is not forlorn and bleak, however, as Zauberberg VII ends the album on one of those pure angelic ambient drone pieces straight from the books of... Okay, not really New Age in the strictest sense, but man, don't that blissy tone give me all the tranquil feels. A real soul cleanser, after the dark, dank paths the previous few tracks took us.

Gas - Nah Und Fern: Gas

Mille Plateaux/Kompakt: 1996/2008

(a Patreon Request fro Omskbird)

Technically, this was supposed to be a review request for the Gas album Königsforst, originally released on Mille Plateaux way back in 1998. I sniffed around for a decently-priced copy, but as you can imagine, such a CD isn't cheap to come by these days. I could have sprung for a digital copy instead, but in my searching, I noticed the Gas re-issue box-set Nah Und Fern had come down to a reasonable price, and thought to myself, “Eh, why not?” Thus, I'm now reviewing the entire catalogue of Mille Plateaux Gas albums, as released by Kompakt. So... not quite the original albums, but I'll get to that ...right now!

Yes, of all the Gas albums to be tweeked for the box-set re-issue, the self-titled debut saw the most changes. Two tracks were replaced, one for perhaps the better, the other not so much, depending on who you ask. Hey, at least the rest of Gas was retained, which is more to be said for the more recent Gas re-issue box-set titled Box, wherein Gas was completely jettisoned in favour of inclusion of the Oktember EP released during the original run of Gas albums. Of course, with the subsequent release of additional Gas albums following Box, there's always a chance another Gas box set could emerge which will bring back the original version of Gas. Heck, maybe even throw in the original-original Gas EP, Modern, released on Profan, though Wolfgang Voigt has made it clear that sound is too far removed from where he took the project for revival consideration.

And what, pray tell, is the Gas sound that has made so many slightly pretentious sorts quiver in their headphones? Drone ambient, mostly, though done in a rather clever way, wherein mood and memory are invoked more than the usual abstract sound paintings the genre aims for. Why, there's even techno beats on some of these tracks, though minimalist and heavily subdued and dubbed out, such that they reverberate from distant locations obscured by dense forest and fauna. Wolfgang has stated he wanted to capture the feeling of wandering through the woods while indulging psychedelics, and I must admit, hearing these cavernous beats with embers of melody over looping drone does remind me of taking the back paths between stages at outdoor music festivals. You recognize the base details, but they're all mushed into an unending wall of sound, only trace musical elements coming through.

As for the replaced Gas III, I'm not surprised the original was taken out, almost a conventional dub techno track compared to the layered tones the other tracks featured. Instead, Gas III does the pure, crackly dronescape thing, with a sporadic, slowed string pluck. Quite reminds me of the few items I've heard out of the Slaapwel Records camp, though about a fifth the running time. Still, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if some of those musicians took inspiration from these Gas pieces. The ones without the techno beat, anyway.

Autumn Of Communion - Autumn Of Communion

Fax +49-69/450464: 2012

I mentioned a few reviews back that I lucked out on a Discoggian source that had a mountain of Fax+ material, and this was what led me to it. Yes, in my never-ending hope that an affordable copy of Autumn Of Communion's debut album would eventually appear there, it finally happened! And not only that, but the seller had more, oh so much more! Was so tempted to crack open an RRSP for a ridiculous splurge, believe you me. What I got will suffice for now though. No need to be greedy with all these limited-run items, is there?

Of course, another reason I'm thankful/dumbfounded for the luck in finding this is that it assuages that lingering FOMO feeling in skipping out on the Autumn Of Communion box-set. I felt it a tad redundant picking that up when I already had some of the albums first-run, but who knew if any of their older works would make it to hard-copy at reasonable prices again, especially this. Not only is it the debut album from this long-lasting partnership between Lee Norris and Mick Chillage, but it's the final item released from Fax +49-69/450464, before Pete Namlook's passing forced the label to shutter doors. You'd think this would make Autumn Of Communion one of the biggest collector's items on the second-hand marketplace. Then again, the Fax+ community never was that big compared to some of the other cult-like followers of famous record labels. And it's not like they're gaining new members anymore. It's all about that Carpe Sonum hit nowadays.

Anyhow, what's most important is that I finally get to hear the germination of this surprisingly durable pairing between Misters Norris and Gainford, one I have to wonder if even they thought would go this long. Like, I'm sure they felt some synergy from whatever situation brought them together (crossing paths at a show? Sharing war stories of former labels? Chance paired seating on a flight across the the Atlantic Ocean?), but even they couldn't have thought they'd be over twenty albums deep from these humble beginnings. Because these are some humble beginnings indeed.

Honestly, this could have gone one of two ways: an immaculate debut that could never have been replicated again, or a feeling-out process, with later works bringing their collaborative ideas to better fruition. Given the amount of music that has emerged under the Autumn Of Communion banner since, it's safe to say we're in the latter territory with this album. Even for Lee and Mick, this is one super mellow CD, with long, gentle passages of subdued synths and repeating melodies. Aside from End (Sunrise For Claudio), there's barely any rhythm, and what does come about is the most minimalist of minute beatcraft.

For sure there are some gorgeous moments on Autumn Of Communion, including the titular track, but I doubt I'd say anything shocking in pointing to the duo's future works as even better than what's offered here. Still, absolutely worth the monies I paid for it!

Cosmic Replicant - Archive Of Signals

self release: 2018

Uh oh, another Cosmic Replicant album already? Does this mean that Bandcamp bundle I bought is gonna' be stupidly front-loaded in the next round of reviews? Heh, no, 'tis but a coincidence of alphabetical sorting. It shall be a long while before I return to this label, but- whoa, wait, I already did this bit, didn't I? Let's start over.

A pure ambient album with dense, dubby touches? Sure, why not. Pavel's done nearly everything else with his Cosmic Replicant project that the psy scene can offer, so it's only natural he'd stretch out into this field. Plenty of his full-lengths have a dronescape track or three, so it's not unexplored territory either. And if other Altar Records alum can release such records (AstroPilot; Chronos; others, probably), so can this one. Perhaps a bit of a shame he had to do it independently, but then Mr. Shirsin hasn't been part of the Altar family for nearly a half-decade now- oh, wait, he did release an ambient EP with them just this year. Man, it's hard keeping tabs on a discography when-

Ah, dang it, I've done this bit too, haven't I? Seriously though, what are the odds I'd have two Cosmic Replicant ambient albums so close in my queue like this? Remember when Pavel did prog-psy, man?

Still, there's a reason for this bit of meta malarky on my part, in that if I were to do a proper review of Archive Of Signals, I'd only be repeating myself from After A Long Rain. In fact, I'd say there's less to detail here, in that this is a pure-pure ambient album, in the 'music as abstraction' concept. At least After A Long Rain had a theme behind it. This album features seven self-titled Parts, firmly planting it in the domain of 'music for its own sake'. And hey, that's totally fine, a hefty chunk of the ambient churned out yearly having faith in the listener to come to their own thematic conclusions. Or sometimes just in need of that proper wallpaper sound, that you don't really pay attention too.

Though if that was Pavel's intent, he missed the mark on that too. Each Part comes in quite distinct from one another, hardly the sort of pure drone songcraft you'd expect of an album like this. Really, some of these pieces feel like compositions that simply never made the cut on After The Long Rain, what with ample use of rain fall and static drone that sounds like rain fall (why not both?). Others are more on that dubby dronescape stylee, while some and gentle and blissy. Again, all top grade stuff from Cosmic Replicant, and different enough from his last pure ambient album that you don't get a sense of actual deja-vu listening to both. Just, y'know, little else for me to say about it so close together. Man, imagine if all I reviewed was ambient. Would have run out of words years ago!

Wurrm - Apotropaic

Neotantra: 2019

Going into this one, I figured I had a complete blank to work with where the artist is concerned. There is absolutely no info regarding Wurrm within Lord Discogs' archives, this album the lone entry. The liner notes gives no details or links either, nor does the associated Bandcamp source (from which I got this from). A total and utter mystery, this Wurrm. So I thinks, I thinks to myself, as I'm dealing with a totally new label as well, I could wax the bull some about that before diving into the actual music within. Because believe you me, I have some things to say about Lee Norris' latest label Neotantra. Nothing harsh or anything, just a little nit to pick about how its presented itself since launching as a sublabel of Fantasy Enhancing earlier this year.

Still, on a hunch, I took an extra Soundcloud dive into this Wurrm fella', just to be certain I hadn't overlooked anything. And wouldn't you know it, I discovered a massive amount of material associated with the name, leaving me stumped as to how none of it is represented on Discogs beyond this lone item. At first I thought perhaps there were just a lot of different Wurrms (that Discogs had somehow overlooked, leading to this one being the first), but turns out it's all the same dude, dabbling in all manner of ambient, dub techno, and future garage. And that's not even getting into his other projects like High Jon The Conqueror (reggae dub) and partnership with DJ Nico Demus as Rukus (a pile of UK garage and grime influenced stuff). High Jon (is that his real name?) has apparently released plenty of material across plenty of micro-labels, yet none of it is on Discogs. I'm starting to wonder whether that claim that Lord Discogs is the Lord That Knows All doesn't know as much as it claims.

Anyhow, Apotropaic. This is definitely an ambient album, though kinda' scattershot in presentation. It's got the tranquil, layered synth-drone pieces (Half Remembered Dreams, Winter Solstice, Bridge). It's got the compositions heavy on the field recordings (Castle Park, Tape Feed, Commute). There's the tracks that submerge you in dubby domains (Degrees Of Seperation, Activated Partials), and even darker, menacing experimental outings (Village Rituals, End Times). If you're looking for some unifying theme to all these tracks, however, I fail to really hear one, Apotropaic coming off more like a collection of various ambient ideas and sketches Wurrm had crafted, and presenting them as is for a full-length on Neotrantra.

And that's what kinda' boggles my mind about this project. The label's mostly featured the usual assortment of Lee Norris associates thus far, which isn't surprising given his myriad connections. How did a guy making hay in a completely removed scene from the ambient techno world get hooked up here? For sure Wurrm's provided some worthy contributions to the Neotantra canon, but it sure is quite the leap from The Sword Of The Morning.

ProtoU & Hilyard - Alpine Respire

Cryo Chamber: 2017

Uh oh, another Cryo Chamber album already? Does this mean that CD bundle I bought is gonna' be stupidly front-loaded in the next round of reviews? Heh, no, 'tis but a coincidence of alphabetical sorting. It shall be a long while before I return to this label, but hey, feels like I'm making up for lost time, having gone so many months without an obligatory look-in to what was shaking with Simon Heath's print.

Of all the items I grabbed in my recent splurge, this may be the oldest of the lot. In fact, Alpine Respire could have been included in my prior Cryo bundle, but that ten CD limit had to cap out somewhere. Albums from God Body Disconnect and Flowers For Bodysnatchers were of higher priority to me at the time, but when I came back to the Chamber for more dronescapes, this was gonna' be top of the pile, by g'ar. Can never get enough of those ashen vistas of cascade mountains at dusk. With molten lava rivers seeping out their sides like open, bloody wounds. Look, we have real volcanoes 'round these here parts, it's not impossible!

Sasha Cats (ProtoU) hasn't been too busy since we last glanced at her output here, a couple albums worth of material materializing in that time. She also officially paired up with partner Dronny Darko as Hivetribe, whom released a collaborative album with Purl (yes, that Purl), and ...two psy-trance albums? No, that's gotta' be a different Hivetribe. Crazy coincidence in the timing of releases though. As for the other half of this album's particular pairing, Bryan Hilyard is another relative dronescape scene floater, self-releasing some items while finding a home on Stereoscenic for others. As being on a label with that sort of name, his is the widescreen variety of dense ambient drone, with occasional field recordings treatments, and not so dark as the Cryo Chamber brand goes. Yet he not only found his way there in this pairing with ProtoU, but even released a solo album on the print this past year too. Ooh, that one's got galaxies on the cover. Will likely nab that, whenever I go on another Cryo splurge.

Alpine Respire is about as typical of the Chamber's output as you'd expect given the cover art. There's a loose theme built around traversing an inhospitable clime', taking in the field recordings scenery as moody tones blanket you in chilly atmosphere. There's the requisite suffocating gloom of tracks like Blood Grass Soujourn and Elwha Snowfinger, but other pieces (Cave Lights On The Bay Of Bengal, Final Refugium) provide something of a tranquil respite from the harsh elements beating down on you. Seems no matter how menacing or melancholic the music, throwing in the sounds of crashing surf never fails to bring about as sense of ease. Man, no wonder so little dark ambient sets itself along beach fronts. You'd think shores with tall cliffs and jagged rocks could harbour some sort of sonic malice.