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Ambient: Brian Grainger - Winterspheres (2019)


60 / 100
Winterspheres offers an icy, meditative ambient experience, but suffers from excessive monotony and lacks the refinement of top-tier ambient releases. 
I had originally scheduled the third of September for the letter C, but since I already listened to it, I’ll add another B with Brian Grainger’s Winterspheres (2019). Originally issued at Moody Drones as a digital-only release containing the title track, "Winterspheres" reappears here as a seasonally appropriate expanded physical edition, augmented by a second duophonic reprocessed mix of the original session.

"Winterspheres" was created through selective sampling on a Boss RC-20 looper, pulling tonal material from an ever-changing patch on a Roland SH-32 polyphonic digital synthesizer. Played by hand, recorded to tape, and minimally processed with effects, it recalls the methods used by Grainger and David Tagg during their prolific SSR sessions between 2006 and 2010. "Winterthrum" reapproaches the tape recordings and, through repeated downsampling and added reverb, generates a warmer yet more restrained take on the piece. The original session was recorded in Winter 2017, with the “1000 Hz session” following in Winter 2018 at White Pillar Workshop.

Here, Brian Grainger presents music that leans more toward ambient than drone, with a total runtime of 110 minutes. The blue cover art and album title communicate the pulse of winter, repeated for 55 minutes, which indeed comes across as monotonous. "Winterthrum" is similar, but ends with a higher-pitched hum that feels less comfortable than its predecessor. The “1000 Hz” label is something I admittedly don’t fully understand, and three-quarters of the work sounds rather mediocre to my ears. Overall, it feels like listening to something self-produced that lacks the polish of professional ambient artists—just long, droning synth waves that feel somewhat raw—even though Brian Grainger is in fact a seasoned musician. Lol.

If I had to choose, I would still prefer Winterspheres, though it doesn’t quite make it into my favorite playlist. Still, this release is worth checking out for fans of Scott Lawlor and Steve Roach.
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