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Listening Notes: This is Ambient Vol. 4

Time for another ambient session! This time it’s heavily dominated by Carlos Ferreira, serving as a farewell to him. Hopefully, there are other albums of his that I can grab for free. :v

Carlos Ferreira – Hakanai (2021)

75/100

Carlos Ferreira still leaves three albums in my queue, and Hakanai once again strikes a chord within my soul with his signature gentle lull. The only parts I avoided here were the synth ripples on "A Gentle Goodbye," followed by "Solitude," which is actually peaceful enough but just failed to reach my heart.

Carlos Ferreira – In Praise of Shadows (2022)

70/100

This particular Carlos Ferreira release is crafted with clipping and noise effects, giving it a more honest, bare-bones feel. The formula utilizing piano-like tones and ambient texturing is obviously welcome, but the inherent abrasiveness creates a boundary line—it's honestly much better viewed from a distance.

Highlight: -

Carlos Ferreira – Six Postcards & Other Stories (2020)

85/100

I'm simply mesmerized by the postcards featuring landscape images. The rustling sounds swept up by the ambient wind can't easily comfort my estranged self, even if they remain tolerable. Later, the drone of keyboard notes and field recordings draw shadows of Bålsam and The Green Kingdom into my ears. Yet, it still fails to completely wipe away this exhaustion, and unfortunately, I have no desire to throw away these minimalist, melancholic sheets of nature imagery either.

Highlight: mostly all

Carlos Ferreira – Supernova (2019)

80/100

A long elegy filled with minimalist keyboard strokes that sound heartbreaking and contemplative, dedicated to Carlos Ferreira's dog, Jimmy, who is pictured on the album cover. To me, the word "Supernova" represents the glimmer of a distant star—a signal from the past due to the immense distance to Earth, meaning the star's existence might already be dead, exploded, having undergone a supernova. That is the reality of it, and if I were to do it—stare at the stars while listening to this track—I would undoubtedly feel the exact same way. Beautiful, yet fleeting.

Damn you, Carlos!

Highlight: Supernova

Tetsüo ii – !! (2023)

75/100

Tetsüo ii conjures the vibe of a dark, alien, and mystery-laden night, though it isn't entirely freezing or terrifying. It works perfectly as a soundtrack for a dark sci-fi film or a horror-adventure game.

Wurrm – Apotropaic (2019)

70/100

Oh, can Wurrm's music here actually ward off evil and negativity? More specifically, it seems to affect one's mood and mental state. While there is a magical or dark undercurrent, as heard in "Village Rituals" and "Activated Partials," I find myself more aligned with the Bålsam-esque style that utilizes field recordings, provided they remain subtle and soft; "Castle Park," "Commute," and "Bridge" are prime examples.

Highlight: Castle Park, Impulsive Moments, Commute, Bridge
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