|
Comments and reviews ....
I wouldn't
say I was an expert on Phrozenlight as he has quite a large catalogue but
most of what I have heard
until now has been ambient music in the more traditional sense. I was
amazed therefore that almost from the
very beginning of this mammoth seventy-seven minute piece we get
sequences. All rather fine they are too,
sounding distinctly Schulzian, in a restrained rather rumbling way. In the
background little cosmic effects hiss
and twitter. Actually there seems to be quite a bit of movement in the
sequence as it morphs this way and that.
At around the ten minute mark the backing has become 'windier' and overall
everything sounds more bass laden.
The sequence also seems to be a little higher in the mix. By the fifteenth
minute the pulsations seem much more
'tinkling'. Five minutes later the sequence has all but departed as we
gradually descend to pure drift with little
metallic shimmers then really strange distorted sampled chatter- or it is
to me anyway as I think it is in Dutch
or German. High register metallic shimmers enter as the chatter slowly
subsides and a fresh very bass heavy
rhythmic sequence can just be heard forming low in the mix, so low in fact
that it as much seeps into the
consciousness as is actually heard. At the half hour mark the distorted
chatter momentarily returns. A second
very subtle sequence makes an entrance but again it is low in the mix
compared to the shifting sea of rather
complex pads. Both sequences increase in intensity but at such a slow rate
I didn't at first realise it. From
time to time the backing becomes a little more violent, even stormy, then
subsides again.
By the hour mark all returns to atmospherics. I suppose it's quite
tranquil but there does seem to be a darker
edge to it. The pulsations haven't left us completely however as they do
return, initially so low in the mix they
were more of an imagination but slowly they once again start to form a
more prominent part in the overall flow
until they are quite positively skipping along. The 'chatter' makes one
last appearance at around the 70 minute
mark. To me it seems that the last half-minute is pure silence, or is that
my ears just getting too old? I enjoyed
this album very much and of those I have heard by Phrozenlight so far it
is certainly my favourite. It must be said
however that with such a long track where the changes are so subtle it is
hard to completely concentrate on it
throughout its duration. My mind kept wandering but there is no doubt that
it was a supremely relaxing experience.
David Law / Synth
Music Direct / MusicZeit
With a title like Far Side Of The Galaxy, it should
come as no surprise that we're in for a spacey ride.
Opening almost immediately with a sequence, the album directly calls to
mind classic Berlin School
electronic music. The sequence moves along at a fair speed, flitting up
and down in register and
accompanied by an array of swirling, whooshing pads and tinkling sounds.
Epic stuff from the off.
Despite the speed, the changing sequences are soft and keep the album on
the more ambient end
of things. As the sound slowly descends into a background pulse, spoken
voices appear at the top
of the mix, adding a darker, more sinister edge to the proceedings, and as
they drift away, the
sequence continues onwards into a more unnerving space, with the melodic
chord changes of
the piece's opener replaced with darker drones. More voices come and go
alongside occasional
high pitched twitterings, and eventually the melodic aspect of the
sequence begins to filter back
into the piece. Many of these sounds and ideas - filtered sequences,
disembodied voices and an
ever-changing series of pads - come and go in new and different
combinations of the space of the
next hour, keeping the piece ever-changing yet always the same. At the
hour mark, all goes quiet,
and swirling and twinkling effects are all that remain of the piece,
before a final round of sequences
as a finalé. Two minutes of pads slowly and carefully close the album,
with the sound drifting away
to nothingness.
The album certainly lives up to its title, with a scale so grand it's
often difficult to imagine an end to it.
Although slowly changing over time, the album's singular sound over its
runtime certainly leave it most
suitable for those with extreme patience with their listening - but those
who do have the time to take
it in will no doubt enjoy this trip to the Far Side Of The Galaxy.
Ross Baker
|
