Category: Music reviews

Convergence comes at this reviewer like a fresh breath of serendipity that wafts through the fog and gloom of a Tuesday morning; an answer to a yearning unspoken, but true. Listen as layers of sublime ambience shift and gyre in a vast sea, rich in depth and texture, their ever-changing currents surround and engulf. Cheapmachines has offered us not so much a journey as an exhibition of ambrosial decadence; a subtle masterpiece of dark ambient that builds imperceptibly to a grand and noisy crescendo in the harsh and distortion-bathed closer “Red Halo II”.

For what it’s worth, this was exactly what I was looking for this morning.

[Rating:5/5]

Looking to expand my exposure to Seism, I did a little digging around and struck upon 777 Experiment. Seism’s approach to texturing and layering is less like an artist’s brush, on this release, and more like garden rake made of broken glass and ice picks. A harsh, dissonant cacophony ensues as the album opens and layers of sampled broadcasts and conversations pile upon one another, stumbling drunkenly over backing tracks of aimless and atonal synth noodling. The album’s longest track, “Bretaellitio”, briefly flirts with epic grandeur, inspired by a melodramatic build to a pure noise meltdown, before settling into the agitated milieu of the closing track, “Heamoiteriolli”.

Not as refined as other Seism material I’ve encountered, but worth the listen.
[Rating:3/5]

Disregarding the back story on this release, and the phenomenal abstract art that serves as its cover, this is an amazing live set in its own right, produced by three very talented purveyors of sound. When various aural worlds collide, the results can be breathtaking, and A Maïzing Session is a perfect example of such a collusion. Mystahr, Ian Linter and Anton Mobin draw on their distinct individual talents to contribute to an incredible 45-minute amalgam of electroacoustic and synthesized sounds. The track rests quietly in the background, menacing from the shadows, never quite getting loud enough or abrasive enough to overwhelm, but never faltering in its slowly creeping malevolence.

[Rating:4.5/5]

The latest release from litmus0001, Hikikomori features a lavish and exquisite density and luxurious ethereal quality. Drawing on the Japanese term for the condition of social anxiety and the people who pull away from society as a result, this three-track release harnesses the solitude and quiet tension of reclusion. Occasionally bordering on drone, with the inclusion of just enough strained hints of melody to prevent the album from decaying into the completely atonal, Hikikomori embodies a restful unease in its softly lulling ambiance.

[Rating:4/5]

Though questionably titled, Bose Ensemble’s Eugenic Teddybears is a well executed excursion into aural chaos. Breaking free of practically all conventional restraints, Bose Ensemble have compiled a series of electroacoustic recordings that flirt with cacophony with a reckless and unabashed abandon. You won’t find any artificially-induced atmosphere on this album, just unfettered natural sound. The layers of often repetitious material are salvaged from the brink of tedium by the tasteful brevity of the tracks, which allows the listener to explore the differences of these pieces without getting dragged down by their similarities.

A great break from the more ambient-leaning material I’ve been reviewing lately, but not something that I would find myself pulling out to listen to repeatedly.

[Rating:2.5/5]