ASHERA & BRANNAN LANE

Sextant

Self-released (2003)

As much as I love full-length solo albums, there is always a different, special feeling when I encounter the collaborative work of a favorite artist. It gives an artist previously familiar to the listener a chance to stretch out and try new ideas and sounds--often freshening that artist's sound considerably in the process. Ambient music collaborations are common, thankfully, and often represent the best albums the genre has to offer.

While I certainly don't believe Anthony Wright's musical project Ashera needs any sound freshening, I was particularly interested to see what regions he'd end up in throughout his first collaboration with the prolific Brannan Lane, Sextant. Ashera's sound occupies a narrow (though impressively expressive and beautiful) niche in ambient. Lane himself is something of a stylistic chameleon, creating varied works in each of the ambient sub-genres, though never with a voice that one can consider Lane's own. Just where would a collaboration between these two go, and would it be a complimentary journey?

Sextant drops Ashera's tendency to create shorter tracks in favor of five sprawling ambient pieces, the shortest of which is over ten and a half minutes long. There is an appropriately nautical flavor to each of the track titles and we begin with the quiet "A Very Large Sail." This is a striking, synth-drone track that transmits a feeling of vast spaces--they may be endless, open seas (as hinted at by the title), or the arguable infinity of deep space. The drone is punctuated by lovely tones of different pitches, like interstellar bells, and eventually a feeling of gradual motion is introduced by sweeping synth chords. Ashera touches are evident, like a swelling universe infused with the spirit of Harold Budd. This is a lovely mixture of traditional ambient touches and deep space harmonics; an excellent start to the disc. "Old Ghost Ship" is ethereal and slightly darker. Strange, subtly phased sounds give the impression of wind rushing by one's ears. There's a slight tension to the track, but the overwhelming feeling here is still one of vastness and peace--all via the tradewinds of sea and space. Next, "Budd's Boat," references perhaps both Budds, Harold and Billy. While the sonic focus here is certainly not similar to the trademark minimal tendencies of Harold, we do have a compositional ambiguity more suited to Melville's protagonist. This track meanders a bit less purposefully than the previous two, but is no less strong for it. One gets the impression there's no destination to this journey, and that we may be lost in the infinity with only the frighteningly far horizons to view. If the fear of being lost is great now on our journey, we can always turn to "Sextant." A deep synth drone, and the gonging of bells, forms a tight beam illuminating our way. This is a zone of trippy synth sweeps with some heart-stopping low end vibrations that massage the ears and resonate within the chest. The deep sonics of this track are particularly memorable, and occasionally muted nature samples remind us this journey is most likely earthbound. If the previous track meandered less purposefully, "Sextant" brings us right back on course. After the previous elucidation, "The Navigator" brings the album to a satisfying close with a suitably earthy flavor. Guitar feedback and strange, echoed noises phase across the speakers as we drift gently atop Ashera's synth chords. Celestial synthwork glistens here, as if we are looping around an undersea reef; more Captain Nemo than Captain Ahab. Psychedelic atmospheric effects abound, and while this is the most "melodic" track on the disc, it closes abruptly with no real resolution. This particular journey into infinity is clearly cut from larger sailcloth.

With its lush photographs of sailing ships and ocean craft, Sextant is an album that manages to reference ocean journeys without dwelling too much on limiting nautical sonics. The sounds and moods presented are soft, though vast, enveloping the listener in waves of warm, though not completely unthreatening, sound. This is atmospheric drift par excellence, and while not particularly diverse throughout its length, manages to hold the listener's attention throughout. Fans of Ashera may be hard pressed to hear much of Wright's tuneful style on this album, as the disc tends to dwell more on deep ambience rather than Eno/Budd vignettes. It's more than worth the effort of listening deeply, as Lane and Wright present some of the prettiest (though still challengingly ambient) deep space/high seas work I've heard from both of them. Recommended.

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SAUL STOKES

Radiate

Databloem (2003)

A leading light of new ambient, Saul Stokes, returns to the fold after 2003's marvelous Fields with a new disc on Databloem: Radiate. While not a new studio album per se, Radiate combines five tracks recorded live in San Francisco with two new studio tracks unavailable elsewhere. Fields operated in more melodic and traditionally musical territory, often eschewing the wild synth improv of his early works. Stokes's last live album, Abstraction, was at the other end of the spectrum; an ululating tableau of synth drone harmonics. Those who had trouble reconciling the two styles Stokes has oscillated between on his last few releases will find Radiate to be an exceptional meeting point--both the abstraction and melodic invention of Stokes's music can be heard in equal measures here.

Radiate begins with the title track, an ethereal, electrical dronescape recalling early Tetsu Inoue works. A lovely tone sequence that could have been lifted straight from Fields appears, a sunrise of electronic brilliance. Above all, Stokes's work is bright and warm--this track encapsulates the radiant ambience that made his name in the first place. Being a live recording, we segue straight into "Wave Image Wave" which features sci-fi waveform sounds and unusual stereo crackles recalling glitchier electronic works. Rather than the clinical sterility of Steve Roden, we are treated to understated electronic chirruping accompanied by a reverent synth drone appearing from nowhere. We're circling some warm planet--from within the troposphere we find radio interference, ambient radiation, bright, unfiltered sun, and occasional sonic debris in the form of stark synth stabs. The sounds seem to heat up into motion, and by the middle of the track are buzzing with the sounds of the spheres. This is space music at its most alien. Fans who've missed Stokes's improvisational style from Outfolding need look no further than here for more of the same. "Nano Flame" is something of a throwback to the style of Stokes's earlier albums: containing a fairly standard synth drone overlaid by mechanistic percussion. Above all, Stokes's early works brought thoughts of air-travel by swift flitter to mind; mid-tempo journeys over landscapes both alien and strangely familiar. "Nano Flame" is another classic "future nostalgia" moment of drift and glide through various atmospheres, huddled safely in a cocoon of super-strong plastics. "Oceans Light the Shore" is similar to "Wave Image Wave," beginning quietly like that earlier track, its burbling sonics eventually conjoined with a strange chiming melody that could have been lifted from Kraftwerk's Ralf und Florian. More bright synth tones follow, illuminating the constant flux of Stokes's impossibly organic-sounding synths. "Hard Landing" crashes us straight back into Tetsu Inoue-land, a theme-park of gurgle rides and dot-matrix orchestras. This is the most willfully experimental track on the album, inhabiting Atom Heart-style grooves and atmospheres--uneasy listening, of a sort. This is, like each preceding track, lightened by almost Eno-esque stabs of atmosphere; cloudy and vibrant. A stunning finish.

Radiate's two studio tracks follow more clearly in the footsteps of Fields. In "Curve of Symphony," an underlying drone is manipulated subtly, almost in the style of Fennesz's more listenable material. Stokes's increased attention to technoid grooves appears, the quietly shifting tones becoming an armchair techno delight. After four minutes we're steadfastly on the "frozen dancefloor," transfixed by pretty melodies and creative percussion programming. The middle of the track is as close as Stokes gets to electronic freq-out, and it's a wonder to behold. A return to melody for the last few, almost melancholic, moments, and we've just heard one of Stokes's finest tracks. Finally, "Vast" puts everything we've heard before into perspective--a hushed, chill ambient track with subtle grooves and an almost Harold Budd melodic presence. Shades of The Black Dog's more Plaid moments arrive (perhaps Detroit's isn't all that far from Stokes's hometown) and we finish with an elegant example of intelligent techno that ends almost too abruptly.

The title couldn't be more appropriate: Radiate is a startlingly bright and beautiful album, with sonic washes both warm and experimental. It also offers newcomers their best glimpse at the two modes of Stokes's work--willful improvisation and chilled ambient-techno. Those who found Fields a little too musical will find plenty of strange electronics to buzz along to--though I myself find Stokes's newer direction into melodic territory extremely refreshing and welcome. Stokes is clearly inspired by more modern electronic forms on his newest work, bringing a sheen largely absent from artists operating in square one Eno or Berlin School modes. I hope more ambient artists will take Stokes's lead in touching upon techno and clicks and cuts style electronic forms, bringing ambient into the twenty-first century. Above all, Radiate continues Saul Stokes's development, validating that he is in no way out of steam after the triumph of Fields. I've already felt Stokes was the artist to watch for some time--Radiate only confirms that he is also one of the most important, and likely influential, artists in new ambient's worldwide milieu. 

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VARIOUS ARTISTS

World of Shadows

Umbra (2004)

Gianluigi Gasparetti, recording as Oöphoi, is no stranger to the self-released CD-R. While many of his most memorable ambient works have appeared on labels like Amplexus and Electroshock, the vast majority of his work has appeared on very limited, self-created, CD-R. It stands to reason, then, that Gasparetti's next step was to start his own label of home-made CD-R releases. Umbra records might have threatened to be an outlet for only Oöphoi-related projects--as it turns out, it will also be the first opportunity for ambient fans to hear new and obscure artists from overseas. The first Umbra release, World of Shadows, is, appropriately, a multi-artist compilation outlining the future direction of the label, and serves as an interesting taster of artists both familiar and unfamiliar.

• First up is Sostrah Tinnitus's track "Corifeo delle Rane"--a vaporous zone of gusty ambient, with clacking sounds resembling the processed ticking of clocks. Synth washes rise and fall amidst the clattering bone sounds of various objects. The feeling here is of a less organic Alio Die, though the sounds change more progressively over the track's relatively short length. What seems like organized chaos at first turns out to be rather orderly in the end, with a wall-of-sound climax followed by a dramatic, classical coda. Having heard Sostrah Tinnitus's two albums (one on Umbra, the other on Beyond Productions), I can say that this is not the most exemplary track by the artist, but functions well as a teaser for those superior albums.
• Next is the impressive "Nocte Sublustri" by newcomer Netherworld. Dark, isolationist ambience in the vein of Thomas Köner can be found here, right down to the otherworldly bass thumps. A thick drone with various bleak synth-impressions ebbs along; a vision of the blackest kind of space. Distant scrapings of metal or stone, highly reverbed, are heard--perhaps the hidden movement of planets, tectonic plates, the mandibles of a giant insect. An auspicious debut for this artist; his first album Hermetic Thoughts perhaps one to look out for.
• Next is frequent Oöphoi collaborator Tau Ceti, and his track "Sator Arepo." Shades of Celestial Geometries here, with a harrowing, slow synth line low in the mix. The more eerie portions of Michael Stearns's Encounter make for a strange excursion into deep space. The track meanders, bassy vibrations breaking up the claustrophobic blackness from time to time--similar to Lustmord, but without the grand guignol theatrics. A fine track, even if a little standard.
• Klaus Wiese and Oöphoi give us "Hieros Gamos" next, featuring Wiese's instantly recognizable Tibetan singing-bowl atmospheres. These drones are combined with creepy whispering straight out of Oöphoi's Night Currents and extremely potent synth textures that glide through the speakers. Headphone listening is recommended. A reverent, mystical atmosphere is created--perfect for the deepest night listening when the world is still, aside from the drifting tones of the music.
• Another new artist, Perceptual Defense, is next with "The Last Tear." This track is similar to Tau Ceti in mood--a synth-created atmosphere of intense blackness, with only strange waveform sounds lancing across the skies. The terrain here is bleak, melancholy; VidnaObmana-style synthclouds pervasive along with the deep space droning. This track is good, though fairly one-dimensional over its length.
• Finally, Oöphoi closes the album with the twenty-three minute "Substance Metallique." Similar in feel to his recent set of EPs, Dreams, "Substance" is extremely quiet, almost at the edge of audible. It is as if one is looking out from a pier at a vast ocean, stretching into seemingly infinite distance. Occasionally one notices vague movement, unusual sounds echoing across the water. The most action is, however, beneath the surface, hidden from view. Perhaps not the strongest Oöphoi track, often due to the extreme quiet of the track--it wisps in and out of the listener's consciousness a little too readily, too ambient for its own good. Bleak and mysterious, but ultimately hollow.

World of Shadows's various tracks certainly suit the bleak title, while showcasing the interesting artists of Umbra records. The album lacks diversity due to the narrow focus of all the artists on bleak, deep ambience, but is also of extremely high quality. Perhaps, when taken as a total, World of Shadows can seem as too much of a good thing--each track melding with the next until one can no longer discern just who one listening to. The quiet nature of these tracks, perhaps from the mastering process, forces the listener to increase the volume in order to hear what's going on. Headphone listening is not only recommended, but almost necessary to appreciate what's going on in each track. Even at higher volumes, some of these tracks (most specifically the final Oöphoi track) seem too ethereal for their own good--it's simply too easy to drift off and lose track of what one is listening to. Nevertheless, World of Shadows is a worthy sampler of Umbra's label focus. Ambient fans who prefer a little more sonic "meat" to their recordings would do well to steer clear. Those who can't get enough of ambiguous, shrouded, soundscaping will likely already have this album, limited to ninety-nine copies, in their collections.

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