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Listening Notes: This is Ambient Vol. 3

 


I am executing the third installment of my ambient series to clear Bålsam from my playlist while finalizing a set of conclusions that came to me relatively quickly.

Here are the six releases:

Ambidextrous - Vision by Zero (2019)

75%
I’m still pondering the correlation between the album title and its content, but the synths presented—combined with my mood as I write this—steer toward a sense of alienation. Foreign, empty, exhausted, and alone. Is it like a silent amusement park that no longer holds any joy because it has been abandoned? I’m not sure, but that was the impression I got.

 Highlights: Except Salvador Ali

Amulets - Streaking Light/The Lowest Tide (2019)

70%
Two murmuring singles from Amulets. "Streaking Light" sounds like light slowly piercing through fog, with a somewhat coarse clearing process audible from 01:20-02:26. Then, the wind-driven waves in "The Lowest Tide" might make one stare blankly at the ocean from the shore or a cliff, though I’m still not entirely satisfied. I was a bit surprised to see Zaké credited as a producer here.

Highlight: The Lowest Tide

Axel Bonard - Ladder (2023)

70%
Axel Bonard clarifies the awkward nuance I mentioned regarding Ambidextrous. Drone sounds blend with a cold, dark ambient feel. "Splash Waves," for instance, depicts the character of a silent and isolated waterfront. The addition of alien-like synths further alienates the atmosphere, evoking images of outer space or a dead city. Fortunately, there is no noise to muddy the texture for my ears.

Highlight: Rip 1

Bålsam - Historias De Enna (2020)

70%
A single with two versions: Bålsam and Pèninșolar, also involving Nina Nativa. Throughout the track, a story is narrated about Nina Nativa’s dream of meeting a mountain spirit who delivers news of an unborn child. I could have chosen the Bålsam version, but the lengthy narrative spoken words at the beginning make it feel a bit awkward and misplaced.

Highlight: -

Bålsam - San Cipriano/La Paloma (2020)

70%
As I often say, Bålsam never forgets the sounds of nature. The birds chirping in the wild that I hear usually feel tedious, but as I write this, I feel a bit guilty because that is exactly where they belong. However, the high intensity in "San Cipriano" makes it somewhat distracting. It is only when the piano touches the end of "La Paloma" that I find myself lulled into melancholy.

Highlight: La Paloma

Blank Embrace - Calm Before the Storm (2020)

80%
I picked up this album simply because my mind was already feeling the "calm before the storm," so it felt relevant. This play-through of Blank Embrace isn't far off from the soft style of Oliviaway. It’s a gentleness that serves as a fitting end to this session. Only "Repeaters" feels like a silent night wave, and "Last Light Before the Night" is quite minimalist, requiring a volume boost.

Highlights: Except Repeaters

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