BETWEEN INTERVAL
Autumn Continent
Spotted Peccary (2006)
Rating: B+
Stefan Jönsson (Between Interval) walks a path between two distinctly different ambient worlds on Autumn Continent: brooding dark ambient soundscapes and gently pulsing warmer rhythmic affairs. For myself, I prefer the latter, although Jönsson infuses even the more sinister and melancholic aspects of the former with human feeling so that even the drone oriented pieces here (such as the opening "Autumn Continent 2" and track 3 "Hidden Wastelands") flow with the organic fluidity of deep spacemusic (the latter of the two tracks could even be heard as a shadowy version of Telomere's work). However, it's when the artist introduces either more overt melodic components (the gentle resonant lower register bell tones on "Submerged" that percolate lightly over layers of luxurious synth washes) or when he allows rhythms to surface (the wonderful quasi-Berlin sequencing present on "The Tides of Time" imparts of sensation of movement underneath the oh-so-delicate reverberating tones, faintly melancholic whistling synth notes and echoed piano-like refrain) that this relatively new artist shines brightest. "Early Life Remainings" dials up the energy to a low boil, reminiscent of tracks such as Tangerine Dream's "Love on a Train," in blending a subtle yet throbbing beat with haunting and evocative synth pads. Make no mistake, though, that the drone pieces do dominate Autumn Continent, and while I would have preferred more of the other stuff, his skill at crafting deep spacemusic is such that even I was mesmerized most of the time, especially on the closing "Autumn Continent 2" a great track that fuses a deep sighing reflection of resignation with a gentleness and beauty that cushions the blow of the melancholy. The title Autumn Continent fits this CD like a glove since the overall morose and somber atmosphere of the music (especially the drones) paints with the appropriate colors for the season when one's thoughts turn inward and the world goes to sleep. Solidly recommended.
Autumn Continent
Spotted Peccary (2006)
Rating: B+
Stefan Jönsson (Between Interval) walks a path between two distinctly different ambient worlds on Autumn Continent: brooding dark ambient soundscapes and gently pulsing warmer rhythmic affairs. For myself, I prefer the latter, although Jönsson infuses even the more sinister and melancholic aspects of the former with human feeling so that even the drone oriented pieces here (such as the opening "Autumn Continent 2" and track 3 "Hidden Wastelands") flow with the organic fluidity of deep spacemusic (the latter of the two tracks could even be heard as a shadowy version of Telomere's work). However, it's when the artist introduces either more overt melodic components (the gentle resonant lower register bell tones on "Submerged" that percolate lightly over layers of luxurious synth washes) or when he allows rhythms to surface (the wonderful quasi-Berlin sequencing present on "The Tides of Time" imparts of sensation of movement underneath the oh-so-delicate reverberating tones, faintly melancholic whistling synth notes and echoed piano-like refrain) that this relatively new artist shines brightest. "Early Life Remainings" dials up the energy to a low boil, reminiscent of tracks such as Tangerine Dream's "Love on a Train," in blending a subtle yet throbbing beat with haunting and evocative synth pads. Make no mistake, though, that the drone pieces do dominate Autumn Continent, and while I would have preferred more of the other stuff, his skill at crafting deep spacemusic is such that even I was mesmerized most of the time, especially on the closing "Autumn Continent 2" a great track that fuses a deep sighing reflection of resignation with a gentleness and beauty that cushions the blow of the melancholy. The title Autumn Continent fits this CD like a glove since the overall morose and somber atmosphere of the music (especially the drones) paints with the appropriate colors for the season when one's thoughts turn inward and the world goes to sleep. Solidly recommended.
1 comment:
Hi Bill, thank you so much for the review! Much appreciated! :)
/Stefan
Post a Comment