△ - Everyone wants the man who is still searching to have already reached his conclusions.



[Click on image for official △ website]



Country: Australia

Composer: Daniel Thompson

Released: May 2013

 

- Tracklist -

1. I wasn't listening, I watched the light that was reflecting off the water shine on to our faces

2. All the memories of the summer-were kept in a faded book at the bottom of my draw

3. The hot pavement hurt our feet so we dived in, Felt the Cold Water on our Skin, the Sun Shone off our Backs

4. The Summer Quickly Changed and we found ourselves again in the routine of Winter

5. I couldn't Stand-I couldn't Focus-Every Hair on my head stood up like a Ball of Needles-My whole body and the room was vibrating

6. Each Person was like a droplet of rain on a puddle of water. The image was vivid in our minds.

7. Everything Moved so slowly, your hair was weightless, I could see every detail on your body

8. We woke up in the very early morning, We didn't speak, just Fingers playing lightly on our skin 

9. I was Dreaming that in a theatre, on the screen my whole life played backwards

10. We Both knew the consequence at the time of making the decision

11. I took a bath, Held my Breath, Pulled my head down under the water and laughed

12. I hadn't slept for so long, I had too long been by myself

 

- Review -

With a band name like that and song titles reminiscent of Red Sparowes (this though may be overboard), you know this is going to be a good album. The complete obscurity of this project has driven to take a dive into the newest release.

 

And I've come out surprised at the level of professionalism within this work. It's the correct dosage of good Ambience, that balance of enough atmosphere but without choking the music (unless deliberately) and a sound production that gives all layers of sound a chance to be heard. This is not ground-breaking, but I really enjoyed this album for what it gives, it does so well. It can compare it easily to the amazing visualised soundscapes of Martin Stig Anderson (Limbo soundtrack) or the earthy yet chilling music of Northaunt. Daniel has been heavily influenced by urban landscapes in this case though.

 

Its a long album too, so the quantity of music here is more than enough to sate any appetite. But each piece has it's independent personality (some albums work well as a whole, some as individual songs) so it's possible to get a fulfilling experience without listening to the full album, which sometimes can be hard for artists to achieve.

 

This is a good album and I am a bit disappointed I didn't know of it before. I hope to share this with all you out there, it's not so often I get to review albums from my homeland.

 



Wastelanders - Cosmic Despair




[Click on image for official Wastelanders website]



Country - America

Composer - Dean Costello

Released - May 2013

 

- Tracklist -

1. The Beginning

2. Abstraction

3. Cosmic Despair

4. Expanding Mental Universe

5. The Crossing

 

- Review -

 Cosmic indeed. This is dark and ethereal.

Listening through the album, it doesn't seem ground-breaking, everything here is tried and tested techniques, but that doesn't mean it is a bad album. There is certainly that slight fuzzy, 'cosmic' (might as well call it that) atmosphere lingering within each song, not so much that it's choking, but the release doesn't sound hollow either.

For a debut this is solid, varied song lengths and some good experimentation (such as the hand-beaten drum & stick sound in 'The Crossing'). But I feel it could be that touch tighter, I find myself skipping into the songs a bit, each song takes quite a while to build up to a climax of some sort, this may be due to the mellower, slower pace that Ambience generically offers, but for the album to be completely outstanding, it can have more.... oomph, but without losing that mellow edge.

I'm not saying this is a bad album, it is a good listen. But it won't give you too much that you haven't heard already.

Compilation Album Now Released.

The compilation album has now been released through ETALABEL in a pay your own price format:

http://etalabel.bandcamp.com/album/below-the-moons-reach

I am sorry for the lengthy delay, I am certain you understand I have a life beyond this blog. I will be putting up new reviews very soon.

Thankyou for waiting so patiently.

Wegrzyn - Volksmusik

[Click on image for Official Wegryzn website]

Country - Poland

Composer - Lukasz Wegrzyn

Released - March 2014

 

- Tracklist -

1. The Orchid

2. Weather Report

3. Eleven Summers

 

- Review -

A new release from one of my favourite ambient labels, Etalabel, Volksmusik is the debut of Lukasz Wegrzyn. From a quick glance, it may seem like a small attempt at only three songs, but all pieces are above ten minutes (Eleven Summers being over twenty minutes in length) so it is still a fair sized album. The time on each piece is more than enough to send the listener onto a journey into Wegrzyn's world.

 

When listening through the album, it isn't all soft touch, at the end of 'The Orchard' harsh static finishes the piece off, and at the end of 'Weather Report' too, albeit a little deeper and less piercing. these songs don't flow into each other, and this completely offsets the mellow introductions to the songs (the piano within 'The Orchard' is just beautiful). My take in this is that each song represents a story, not just the entire album. Every one song represents an event, and when put together with others on an album, represents a life. the softer sections hold happier memories, and the harsher sections hold sadder, distressing memories. Life has ups and downs, compositional wise, this album has too.

 

This album is the story of a life, and Wegrzyn has decided to share it through music. He has only used piano for this music, and experimenting with the sounds on the piano has led to some interesting concepts. it's full of layers and as a result has a thick atmosphere. Lukasz is a wonderful, talented composer, and if Volksmusik is a taste of what to come, my ears eagerly await.



Support to Ukraine

You may or may not be aware, that tensions are rising in Ukraine. This worries me gravely as many innocent people could come to harm, all they want is the freedom of their country again. Two of these people I know personally, Oleg Shpudeiko (Heinali) and Sergiy Fjordsson (Moloch), I have reviewed albums of theirs in the past (and sure enough in the future) and both are appearing on the Compilation album I will be releasing (just hold on a couple of weeks).

I wish these two to keep safe, don't get into any trouble, and if anything goes too sour that the lives of them and their friends and family are threatened, to get out of the country as quick as possible.

I am sure if you are seeing this post, that I speak on behalf of you as well, Support these two in their struggling country, support everyone in Ukraine, as Russia is, as we speak, deciding aggressive action against those of Ukraine, all for a piece of land.

Keep safe, Oleg and Sergiy, my Ukrainian brothers. And to Ukraine, I hope all will be resolved peacefully.

North Atlantic Drift - Monuments

[Click on image for official North Atlantic Drift website]

Country - Canada

Composers - Brad Deschamps & Mike Abercrombie

Released - March 2013

- Tracklist -

1. Passing Time

2. Monuments

3. Concrete Oceans

4. Sandlab

5. I Have Never Seen the Light

6. Scholars of Time Travel (part II)

7. Sun Dial

- Review -

North Atlantic Drift...
Rightly named after a large ocean current, this project simply takes you away. It completely submerses you in it's Northaunt-esque atmosphere. But unlike Northaunt, it's a heavier balance of defined beat and seamless soundscapes. Songs like Concrete Oceans and Scholars of Time Travel (part II) give the listeners a ambient/electric cafe-noir sound (as I like to describe it) in sections, which I've come to adore, especially in Concrete Oceans. The full on ambient sections such as Passing Time and the ominous Sandlab work especially well as breaking points for the album, like a 'calm down' between more involved songs, and as I said before, remind me of much of Northaunt.

The great thing about this subtle mix of music, is that it flows on in a perceivable way, once listening to the beat/soundscape structure of the first few songs, it sticks in your head, you can feel it, even through the complete ambient sections of the album, and it really helps give, basically an invisible, affect on the rest of the album. I'm not even close to calling any of these songs 'infectious' because it still sits deep within the ambient genre, but the extra beat involved in the music has certainly given it an unforgettable experience.

I don't usually single out certain songs when I write reviews, but I think for this album in particular, it certainly helps. and if you're wondering which song is my favorite, it's has to be Concrete Oceans, but alas this is an enjoyable album as a whole.

Black Polygons - Accalmie

[Click on image for official Black Polygons website]

Country - France

Composer - Cyril Rampal

Released - February 2013

- Tracklist -

1. In the Dead of Night

2. Whisper

3. Black Room

4. Amer

5. Ghost

6. Velvet

7. Accalmie

8. Burnt

9. Aphorisme

10. Ectoplasme

11. Brume

12. Denouement

- Review -

Black Polygons were once described as having some inspiration from Nine Inch Nails...

Really?

Whilst the industrial influence is definitely incorporated, never does Black Polygons sound as synthetic as NIN. No, this French electronica/ambient outfit seems much more similar to the likes of Desiderii Marginis and Polish projects like Virlyn and Bojanek. It's not complete seamless ambience, more of an ambient base, with a slow electronica influenced beat layered on top.

And it's dark... it does indeed have the grittiness that industrial genres supply. And it's deep as well, not only from a perceived atmospheric point of view, Electronica is often bass heavy, and the implementation of this in the music has given it a gut-twisting, low-end frequency. Black Polygons could easily fit within a full Dark Ambient playlist. 

Northaunt - Barren Land

[Click on image for official Northaunt website]

Country - Norway

Composer - Hærleif Langås

Released - 2004/2013

- Tracklist -

1. Dying Day / Dawn And Ashes

2. A Silent Battle

3. Kapp Farvel

4. Whiteout

5. Laid Bare Beneath The Stars

6. Just Another Cold Spring

7. Lost Days

8. Varghjerte

9. The Fire

10. Shadows Over The Barren Land

(2013 reissue)

11. Winter II

12. Hopeless Dreams

13. In the Midst of Life We Are in Death / Autumn Cold -Rain from the Stars

- Review -

I start the New Year reviews off with a classic, which has recently been reissued. Northaunt inevitably drove the ambient scene forward during the 1990’s and to this day still gives the world some amazing soundscapes, a band indeed worthy of recognition.

This dark Norwegian Hærleif Langås has given us ominous sounds for over a decade now, beginning with the ironically named Ominous Silence (2001), and three years’ experience afterwards, unleashed onto the world the album Barren Land (2004). This was the beginning of true haunting ambience, along with Atrium Carceri and Kammarheit. Most recently Barren Land was reissued in 2013 in a digipack format, which I was lucky to get my hands on.

Those familiar with the genre will already expect the sound Northaunt has to offer. But this really was my first time listening to Hærleif’s project, and I’m completely frozen solid now. This music is just cold, shivering, conjuring a bleak icy wasteland, you simply fall into it, and it’s mesmerizing. It’s a signature minimalist approach, heavily relying on field recordings, and for someone inexperienced this could go terribly wrong… sometimes recordings just don’t sit right with the rest of the music, or the atmosphere. But Northaunt, my god Northaunt have done this flawlessly, Hærleif has created what could be the most isolating album ever, the atmosphere is so thick… it drowns you (though very gently, it still has an airy whiff to it).

The only other band I can think of who can make music which literally freezes you is Parhelion, but with the history behind Northaunt, Barren Land is beyond anything else. For me there are three standout songs, and coincidentally they all follow one another on the album, ‘A Silent Battle’, ‘Kapp Farvel’ and ‘Whiteout’, listen to these and you will truly understand the nature of this album, and Northaunt itself.

Facebook Page

As I grow this special website I have, I need to promote it much more... 

So I have created a community on Facebook dedicated to this website:

https://www.facebook.com/floatingmusic

If you have some spare time, go ahead and check it out, maybe like it... It's all I ask for.

And if you're itching for more reviews, very soon I will be back on track (maybe with two reviews this month).

Take care, James

I'm hiring.

I've been thinking lately about the direction of this website, and the future it holds, I know that it can do well just as it is, but I want for of it, I want to expand it. 

At the moment, it is simply a site where I review albums within the Ambient/Electronic genre. But I really want to expand it to become a business venture. I am interested in it becoming a record label, and a music management company. 

I want to hire another one or two people to help me write more reviews, it's a beautiful job, basically listen to an album before going to sleep (this music actually has a tendency to make you sleepy) and write about the experience afterwards, no bad reviews, just good ones. I don't want to clutter the site with negative reviews.

I want to keep the site local at the moment, so any Australians interested send me a message. Once expanded, I will hire internationally.

Please please do this for me, music is a passion for me, help me grow this passion.

If you have any questions just inbox me, I'll be happy to answer.

My email: jsc.metal@gmail.com

Heinali - Useless Music

[Click on image for official Heinali website]

Country - Ukraine
Composer - Oleg Shpudeiko
Released - April 2012

- Tracklist -
1. Useless Music 1
2. Useless Music 2
3. Useless Music 3

- Review -
What a short but powerful piece of composition, and at the end I'm left wondering why it simply stops at three songs. However, this album doesn't need an hour long play to drift in your head, these three simple piano pieces are enough to send you into your dreams.

And yes, there is nothing complicated about this, just a talented young composer on a piano, no fancy sound affects or electronic wizardry. The recording is raw as well, you can even hear piano pedals at work. This simplicity gives the music breathing room, it flows and feels lighter than compared to contemporaries. It is not overburdened with any extra layers, and honestly the sound of that piano is so uplifting.

This is a gorgeous little album that takes straight to the heart, get it. It is a warm, enjoyable sound, it is not 'dark' ambient at all. It not even ambient yet still deserves a special place on this blog.

XUN - Frameworks

[Click on image for official XUN website]

Country - Germany

Composer - Phil R.

Released - July 2011

- Tracklist -
1. Glassworks
2. Ember
3. Clastic
4. Morbid
5. Spinal
6. Solar
7. Clockworks

- Review -
As I listen to this album, I am constantly reminded of Atrium Carceri. The gritty industrial tone is certainly here, along with its own special something, which I'll try to figure out during this review. But welcome to XUN, take a seat, because you'll be blown away.

First of all the phrase 'more is less' certainly is one of Phil's favourites, each of these songs dares to shed layers for a much more isolated atmosphere, yet none feel paper thin. The distortion and grain behind each track simply gives that extra solidity, a blank canvas if you will, upon which this talented musician spreads his ideas. This slight distortion gives a special edge to the rest of the composition too, some of the music can seem abrupt, but never razor sharp, and I absolutely love this little element. It seems like it's coming from an old analog radio, it gives it a sense of age.

Each and every song is amazing but there are three that I want to talk about together, 'Ember', 'Clastic' and 'Morbid', and this is where I see an Atrium Carceri influence. The atmosphere in these three is just electrifying, it's spine-tinglingly dark. This is proper Industrial Ambience done without hundreds of layers stacked on top of each other. I can pick out about four or five, and that is probably the most layers in a Xun song (either that or they're so subtle and well-fitted I can't pick them out)

Overall this is an album that has completely terrified me; the music has so much grip and traction it almost feels like its crawling along your skin. It's deep, very deep. You like quality Ambient? I urge you to get this album.

Interview with Robert Sun (KoldVoid)

 

Name - Rob

Country - Romania

The very first interview I have ever done, so my skills at questioning may seem a little rusty at times, but hopefully this will give you an enjoying read about the life and thoughts of a great ambient musician. Many thanks to Robert for being such a good sport too.
 

- Questions -

1. I wish to talk to you about how Koldvoid came into existence first, what got you into ambient music?

 

Rob: I am not sure what got me into ambient music, I guess since the very early ages of my existance when I came in contact with music, besides rock music, I got an injection of meditative stuff like Pink Floyd, Vangelis, Jean Michel Jarre, than later in early 90s Angelo Badalamenti, Dead Can Dance, Ennio Morricone. I also have grown an attraction for movie soundtracks. All these influences made me experimenting with sounds and textures which years later, in 2008 culminated in the ambition of recording and releasing this style of introspective music under the name of KOLDVOID. I had hours of recordings earlier, but only by the year 2008 I could finally put up all the puzzles from my head and start making it more serious, if I can say so.

2. You have certainly evolved your sound since your first release Touching the Void, is this evolution from acquiring new equipment, or from new ideas?

Rob: Both of them. I was/am always searching for new methods of writing and recording, but I also bought new instruments.

3. Can you give the readers some insight into how you record your music?

Rob: Most of the times I am trying to catch on synth, or piano or on any other instrument a melody I have in my head. This is why KoldVoid is more musical and less noisy than other ambient/industrial music I guess. I try to catch a mood and melody on acoustic guitar, or a piano, this is from where the songs always starts. I use also a metronome or a basic drum, which later I remove from the mix, just to keep up the tempo. After the main melody and chords are recorded, then comes the other instruments, which colours it all up, then I mix it and there you have it. Sometimes I also use also field recordings, sometimes I sample monologues/dialogues from movies, to make it more interesting.

4. Are there any outside inspirations other than music (such as urban life or nature) which help shape your music?

 

Rob I think music is just one of the inspiration channels. I never start to record something just because I heard an album I like. Most of the times I record after longer periods of non-creative times. Both nature and urban life is an inspiration, some people said that KoldVoid is somewhere on the border between urban feeling and nature. I live almost in the forest, near the city, so there you are...it might be true.

 

5. I wish to talk to you about how you feel about the Dark Ambient genre as a whole. What do you think defines it as a genre, or, do you feel that it covers a range of unusual but similar styles of music?

 

Rob: I think of Dark Ambient mainly as a genre or sub-genre. For me Dark Ambient is the music for the mind, not for the body, so it’s a meditative music, most of the times evoking feelings of melancholy or sadness, hence the tag "Dark" Ambient.  A music with an electronic base derived from the industrial scene of the 70s and 80s and later combined with a lot of other influences, ritualistic, noise, tribal, new-age, post-rock, etc, but I think for most of the times Dark Ambient doesn't cover all those similar styles or sub-genres.

6. Are you satisfied with how the genre is received in the public? How is your own project received?

Rob: Depends on what do you think by "received". I think dark ambient is exactly where it should be. Underground. The biggest names like Lustmord, Raison D'etre, etc, can hardly sell more than 2000-3000 copies of their albums, so that's the economical fact. You can go whatever country you want and you will not see more than 200-300 individuals at a Dark ambient show, or festival, but that’s OK for me. I make music as self-therapy, some people buy the releases, that’s all, it’s enough for me. Koldvoid got for more than 90% only good and very good reviews, I never read actually one really negative one, so I guess the dark ambient underground likes it.

 

7. What is in store for the future of Koldvoid?

 

Rob: I am currently writing and recording a new album, which may appear in 2014, we'll see.  The working title is "Complete Annihilation of Joy". It will be more electronical and more experimental, but with "real" songs, not only textures...I am trying to find also people to work on some videos. Not much besides this.

 

8. Any finishing words for the readers?

 

Rob: Thank you James for the opportunity and the interesting questions. May the Dark lights be with you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Martin Stig Andersen - Limbo Soundtrack

[Click on image for official Martin Stig Andersen website]

Country - Sweden

Composer - Martin Stig Andersen

Released - July 2011

 

- Tracklist -

1. Menu

2. Boy's Fort

3. City

4. Rotating Room

5. Sister

6. Gravity Jump

 

- Review -

Limbo is one of the most beautiful games released, giving side-scrolling puzzle game with surreal minimalist design (I urge you to play it). And if you have played it already, you may or may not have noticed the music. The reason you may have not even known there was music is because it blends so well into the atmosphere of the game.

 

This is another one of my favourite albums, really professional Ambience all throughout, from the less-is-more approach on 'Menu' and 'Gravity Jump' to the industrial tinged 'Boy's Fort' and even the completely terrifying 'Rotating Room'. What makes this even more surprising is none of this music is really digital at all, most of it being composed through analogue instruments and equipment, giving it a much cleaner, much more earthy appeal than Martins digital counterparts.

 

Limbo relies very heavily on the atmosphere created within the game, and would not exist as it does without Martins contribution. It is equal the other way around too, as the music co-exists with the game, and is actually a reaction to certain points in the game. So neither could exist without the other, however the soundtrack only still sounds so special.

 

This is an album everyone should get, the atmosphere feels so right, so real, this is beyond just Dark Ambient, there is no words for this music, this amazing listening experience. Even if you don't want the full album, I urge you to at least get the song 'Menu', which is definitely close to being my favourite Ambient song ever.

Deep-pression - Nieskończone Morze/Vegtelen Tenger

[Click on image for official Deep-pression website]

Country - Poland

Composer - Arthur Burns (A.K.A RH-), ky, Harley Lethalm (A.K.A Dhampyr)

Released - November 2012

 

- Tracklist -

1. Intro

2. Syreny

3. Tam,Gdzie Martwe statki Jęczą...

4. Nieskończone Morze

5. Głębiny

6. Nadejście Zimowych Chmur

 

- Review -

The very first Deep-pression song I heard was "Grim Reapers Hand" from the split with Koldvoid, and I immediately loved it, and the piece has become one of my favourite Ambient tracks. So I have decided to review DP's newest full length album, released for free as Nieskończone Morze, or bought from Valse Sinistre records as Vegtelen Tenger.

 

Both names relate to the idea of an infinite sea, an ocean stretching for miles out to the horizon. And DP has been able to convey this image quite well through their music. Lush soundpads mixed with ominous guitar work, topped off with whispered vocals in the local language. It is quite drawn out and does not rush at all, instead keeping a slow steady pace and holds a calm atmosphere, much like the theme. Of course being stuck in an endless sea can be quite boring, and at some times the same can be said for the music.

 

The music does what it does best, convey a vivid melancholic image, and whilst it can get a little monotonous at times (which I guess is a trait in this genre), it can still carry the listener into another world, and then drop them into the middle of a freezing ocean.



Grzegorz Bojanek - Constraints

[Click on image for official Grzegorz Bojanek website]

Country - Poland

Composer - Grzegorz Bojanek

Released - July 2013

 

- Tracklist -

1. We Are All Red Green and Blue

2. Three is Enough

3. My Mind Between the Walls

4. That Day Remained in my Mind

5. All Four Seasons

6. Alone

7. One Hot Day

8. Garbage

9. Drops

10. My Garden

11. Listening to Birds

12. Warm Autumn

13. Violet World

 

- Reveiw -

Another one of those gems found whilst wondering the ever evolving fields of Bandcamp, Grzegorz Bojanek has given us not only a solid ambient release with Constraints, but also a conceptual artpiece in itself, just from how this noise is given to us.

 

I won't into too much detail about the sound given here, it would take forever, but Grzegorz has included some familiar sounds, field recordings simply from around home, and it gives such a warm sense that this noise can be made from simple objects. It lets the album breath easily, given its DIY style, not to be wrought through the professional studio wringer. This album is still beautifully produced don't get me wrong, but it the production is not overdone, so that it sounds artificial.

 

There are of course sweeping synth and orchestral elements to go with the noise, and again this is not overdone either, rather giving the music a polished edge, and sometimes you may not even be able to hear this. Now Grzegorz could have just stopped here and given us a great album, but what stands out for me on this release is the acoustic work, this just gives the music a whole new level of atmosphere, catapulting it into ethereal, almost dream-inducing atmosphere.

 

This album could be an incarnation of harmony, as all elements play equal roles, and would not work at all if one was lower or missing.

 

Favourite songs include 'Three is Enough' because of it's melancholic chime work, and 'Listening to Birds' for, like I said before, flawless acoustics.

Atrium Carceri - Ptahil

[Click on image for official Atrium Carceri website]

Country - Sweden

Composer - Simon Heath

Released - February 2007

- Tracklist -

1. Quarantine (feat. Antonia Simonovic)

2. Entrance

3. A Place to Call Home

4. Observatory

5. Memory Leak

6. Reincarnation Chamber

7. A Path Through Remembrance

8. Static of the Kapnobatai

9. Reborn

10. The Council of Seven

11. Meltdown

12. Inside the Womb

13. End Titles

- Review-

It was just a matter of time until I reviewed an Atrium Carceri album. This will be the first of hopefully many, so I will start on my personal favorite AC release, Ptahil. I've always felt this was a masterpiece of Ambience, it seems grittier than AC's other releases, not saying that they are not good (oh no far from that), but Ptahil was primarily the album that got me into this genre (good start hey?).

Where to start...

Compared to much of AC's other releases I feel that Ptahil is much more experimental and  conceptual. The music covers a wider range of styles from seamless industrial ambience ('Entrance'), beat driven dark electronica ('Meltdown') and even a little bit of , and i am just guessing here, middle-eastern folk ('Quarantine').  Captured sound is stringent through the thick layers, leaving no gaps in the music. The virtual sound is distorted enough to give an almost grungy texture to the music and the reverberation also helps give a fuller and thicker wall of sound.

Simon I know has put so much effort into this album, and I feel that Ptahil is his opus.

Virlyn - Man Asleep

[Click on image for official Virlyn website]



Country - Belgium

Composer - Frédéric Vanderlynden

Released - April 2013

 

- Tracklist -

1. Cephei

2. Ran

3. Lilith

4. Dawn

5. Mirror Pt. 1

6. Kristal

7. Swan

8. Descent

9. Lorelei

10. Cult

 

- Review -

I been wanting to review this album for quite a while now, this is like a diamond-in-the-rough find such as that Brambles album I reviewed a while back, Something I would have never found if it wasn't for my virtual best friend Bandcamp.

 

Virlyn seems much more ethereal than most projects, It isn't thick with atmosphere, but it still pushes down on the listener. It seemingly has a lighter airier tone, like floating within the stratosphere kind of atmosphere. The music seems to flow easily throughout the layers, and doesn't give away too much at all, giving the composition almost a malleable affect. A swarth of guest musicians and singers add their own special touch to the music, be it Violins, Cellos or Saxophone. The music benefits from these stylistic cues and it all works towards that lighter tone I talked about earlier.

 

Ever since listening to the album Notes for the Synthesis by The Seven Mile Journey, I have had a soft spot for stringed instruments (Violin, Cello, Double Bass etc..). This albums hits that spot well, but not perfectly, however overall this was an enjoyable album that I urge the rest of you to listen to.

Cities Last Broadcast - The Cancelled Earth

[Click on Image for official Cities Last Broadcast page]

Country - Sweden

Composer - Pär Boström

Released - June 2009

- Tracklist -

1. Cornerstone

2. Antenna

3. Bascule Bridge

4. Railroom

5. Deadpost

6. Cella

7. Architecton

- Review -

Another difinitive album of quality Dark Ambient, and this one has been around for quite such a while, it's gathered a cult following. From the mastermind who gave you Kammarheit, Pär Boström has excelled again with his unique new project, Cities Last Broadcast, giving us chilling distorted sounds of his closest inspirations.

This album uses no synth work, no keyboards, no instruments at all. No, this is completely distorted sounds, be it originally the sounds of a subway, railway bridge or busy road, They sound completely different when given the Boström touch. Seven creepy crawling soundscapes give insight to a world after, a post-apocalyptic land long forgotten by humanity. Of course I cannot review this album by means of musical capability, there is no music, but in terms of sound shaping and layering, The Cancelled Earth is benchmark. Thick with atmosphere, it either drifts through the listeners head, or smothers them, and if you survive this album, well Stockholm symdrone sets in and you'll crave for more.

Unfortunately, there isn't anymore, Pär Boström has only released one album under this moniker, and not much has been heard since. But this only adds to the mystery of this musical dimension.

A must for any Dark Ambient fan. Or any fan of sounds.

Moloch - Abgrund Meines Wesens

[Click on image for Official Moloch website]

 

Country - Ukraine

Composer - Sergiy Gordiuk / Сергий Гордиюк (A.K.A Pr. Sergiy Fjordsson)

Released - September 2012

 

- Tracklist -

1. Als die abstrakten Spiegel des Universums vom Puls des menschlichen Lebens zerstört wurden

2. Wo die Winde für immer weinen

3. Berge umhüllt von uraltem Nebel

4. Abgrund meines Wesens

5. Die letzten Strahlen der Sonne verglimmen in der Kälte der Gleichgültigkeit

6. Im dornigen Zwielicht schwand das Leben
7. Graue Wolken unter dem Meer
8. Ein strenger Winter kommt

- Review -
Now don't worry, I haven't changed this to become a Black Metal blog. Yes, Moloch is well-known in Black Metal circles, but Sergiy's most recent releases, this album, and the release before (Abstrakter Wald) are full Ambient albums.

Not much in the way of complexity, Sergiy used his Ambient skills to create more of a background atmosphere, Black Metal usually taking centre stage. He has done away with his guitar and kit on this release, and lets this beautiful soundscape unfurl with no obstacles. Like I said, it isn't ground-breaking, and you may get a little bored with the repetitiveness of it, but in reality there isn't anything overly wrong with the concept and composition of the release. It depicts a wintery landscape which Moloch has perfected.

Recommended if you really like Dark Ambient music, or a diehard Moloch fan (which I am), The rest of you can still get it, to increase your music list (it will blend right in).