Skip to main content

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
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Terima kasih telah berkomentar. Usahakan untuk menjaga sopan santun.

Popular posts from this blog

Breakcore: Subheroine - End. (2025)

77 / 100 End. is Subheroine ’s most immersive and emotionally textured work yet ... Is being a week late enough to make a new release feel cold and stale? Maybe it’s the effect of our fast-paced modern world and the FOMO trend. Who knows. Whatever. Alright then, let’s welcome a new breakcore/drum & bass album (though it runs under 30 minutes) from Subheroine : End. ! End. by SUBHEROINE Released just on November 7 via Japan’s veteran breakcore label, Lost Frog Productions , End . delivers a noticeably more atmospheric vibe this time. So, tagging it as atmospheric drum & bass makes perfect sense, while the “depressive” tag seems to apply only to the cover art. But is that really the case? As always, there are surprises when reviewing music—those unexpected moments that make certain tracks sound more intriguing than expected. The most prominent depressive elements appear in the sampled voice of an anime girl sounding shocked or weakened in...
Post a Comment
Read more

Electronica/IDM: 4T Thieves - Humanoid (2018)

70 / 100 Humanoid is a compact and tastefully crafted slice of IDM-leaning electronica that blends futuristic elements without overwhelming the listener. I opened my December with an electronica release by 4T Thieves , an EP titled Humanoid , which came out back in February 2018. A brief profile and the project’s track record can be found on RYM or Last.fm , and it’s clear that this act has been active since the 90s, although only arriving on Bandcamp around 2018. Humanoid by 4T Thieves As the name suggests, Humanoid presents a modern environment tinged with a futuristic sci-fi atmosphere, supported by drum work leaning toward IDM and prominent synth/bass that paints the image of a future city gate on “ Elemental .” This is followed by “ Codex ,” which is given a special dose of classic IDM-style glitch effects , and the rest continues into “ The Looking Glass ,” which gives off a nighttime-shadow feel through its slightly dark synth melodies. “Band...
Post a Comment
Read more

Psychedelic Rock, Experimental: 32 Partials - In Degradation (Part I + II) (2017)

76 / 100 A dual-EP venture that expands 32 Partials ’ sonic universe, In Degradation showcases both their desert-tinged psych rock and a bold leap into experimental ambient/noise. The journey of 32 Partials continues with a descent into desert territory in In Degradation (Part I) , accompanied by an experimental/noise backsound presented separately in In Degradation (Part II) . Both were created during the summer and released together at the end of August 2017. Each EP contains three tracks, so I figured it would be more efficient to summarize them in one review instead of two. In Degradation (Part II) by 32 Partials What’s presented first is a Middle Eastern–styled rock performance using bouzouki and flanged guitar without distorted accompaniment, making it less clearly aligned with desert/stoner rock . The same goes for the two psychedelic rock tracks that follow—they don’t feature synths as strongly as the previous release, but overall t...
Post a Comment
Read more