Sometimes, from the first opening seconds of an album it can be immediately clear that this one is different…
“This one is different…” was what I felt immediately after hearing the first notes of Nicolas Bernier‘s new album “Frequencies (a / Fragments)“.
In the Shortlist sections, I will mention the albums that I enjoyed listening to, but couldn’t find the time (or the right words) for a “full” review for. Still, I definitely think they deserve your attention, with ór without extra words!
AUTISTICI – ATTACHING SOFTNESS
A collection of detailed microsound pieces including collaborative works with Calika and Henry Duclos. It includes the original full-length version of Attaching Softness to a Shell. About half of the (50 minute) album is reserved for the centerpiece “Attaching Softness to a Shell” (a track that also briefly appeared in the “Dream Calibration“ mix from 2009).
If one of the criteria for ‘ambient’ music is that you can comfortably fall asleep to it, I guess you’d better skip this particular mix. Although it starts quiet and reassuring with soothing vocal chords from Silvestrov’s “The Lord’s Prayer”, the mood disintegrates and sometimes can become rather unsettling – depending on your own personal ‘incidental memories’, of course.
For reasons I can’t really explain, this mix works better if you listen on speakers instead of headphones – just let the airwaves flow for maximum immersion.
Compared to his previous album with reworkings of Erik Satie‘s music, Bionulor’s “Theatre Music” is spectacularly different in sound.
But not in approach, however, since for this music Bionulor also applies his “100% sound recycling method”, which means he’s strictly re-using pre-recorded material: classical instruments for “Coriolanus“, and voice recordings from actress Sylwia Oksiuta performing “SKAZAna”.
Although in both cases, the source is not easily recognisable.
To celebrate its 50th release since 2009, Hibernate Records could hardly have chosen any better release than Antonymes‘ “There Can Be No True Beauty Without Decay”.
Not only because Ian ‘Antonymes’ Hazeldine’s music seems to represent all the things the label stands for (“both abstract and melodic but always with a hint of melancholy.”), but also because the inspiration for this album came from his debut album “Beauty Becomes the Enemy of the Future”, which was originally released in the same year, 2009.
Over three years since the release of his impressing debut album ‘Safn 2006-2009‘ (which collected some of his earlier solo work), Bjarni Gunnarsson (from Reykjavik, also known as one half of Einóma) presents the second full album release under his own name.
The beautiful package of ‘Processes & Potentials‘ contains 7 colorful inlays, one for the cover and one for each of the six different tracks of this album.
Just like he did on ‘Safn’, Bjarni chooses his musical position wilfully, creating soundscapes that are remarkably different from most in current ambient/electronic music.
It took some time before Michel Banabila and Machinefabriek, both living in Rotterdam, finally met and started working together. But after the release of their first album, they soon decided there would be more like that.
Not just because their first CD was very well received critically, but also (probably even more) because their collaboration was so fruitful that the new ideas started to roll in soon, and simply begged to be continued.
So now, some 9 months after its predecessor, “Travelog“ is presented.
In the Shortlist sections, I will mention the albums that I enjoyed listening to, but couldn’t find the time (or the right words) for a “full” review for.
Still, I definitely think they deserve your attention, with or without extra words!
FROZEN THOUGHTS – CALM BEFORE THE STORM
Frozen Thoughts is Petar Sakic, previously releasing hardcore dance music as Phobos. After hearing Biosphere’s ‘Substrata’ in 2005, he started to create his own ambient music – especially created for the Glacial Movements label, which is particularly known for its characteristic glacial (though not ‘cold’) atmosphere.
Here’s a batch of most interesting recent releases by dutch artists (that definitely should be heard outside Holland):
SIDDHARTHA BARNHOORN – ANTICHAMBER
Siddhartha Barnhoorn‘s relatively young biography (since 2004) already boasts a great number of soundtracks for movies and commercials. His latest release is the soundtrack for the “Antichamber” game (released through Steam) – a game that does quite well in the gaming community as far as I can tell by the ‘metacritic score’ of 82/100.
I cannot tell anything you about the game experience (if anyone reading this has played the game please share your experience in the comment section) – but as far as the music goes: this is spectacularly atmospheric, breathing a calm that seems to be the complete stylistic opposite of the preview images’ atmosphere.
Creating game music is quite different from creating soundtrack music, as games are mostly unlinear, and it’s never known how long a player will remain at a certain scene. So it’s all about creating an atmosphere, especially one that you would love to stay in longer … and this is what Barnhoorn does very, very well.
