Here’s a rather pleasing, majestic, and dramatic drone release from this long time & highly prolific US based project. The CD takes in eleven tracks that move between lush slow-mo strings based ambience, and short slices of field recordings from Japan.
The releases front cover takes in a picture of silhouetted figure staring out of a train window at the rushing by landscape, and this is most fitting because as you listen to the album you can almost imagine vast landscapes & cites scapes slowly unfolding then disappearing before your eyes. The shorter field recording tracks work as brief slices of normality/ reality; as they taking in train station noise/ chatter & noises of everyday modern Japanese life.
Sound wise it brings it to mind the likes of Stars Of The Lid, more string based work of William Basinsk, or the slower & rich cinematics of Popol Vuh – as the ambient tracks unfold with slowed & lush string work that is both harmonic & dramatic. This is stretched out into rich & golden sweeps & hovers of compelling & relaxing ambience, which is both pleasing yet at times slightly melancholic.
All told this is a most compelling, soothing, and richly harmonic drone release, which over the last few weeks, I’ve found myself returning to again & again. Certainly this is one of the more captivating & re-playable drone releases in recent memory.