I honestly loved this right off the bat, that very first pad, that dreamy tone, I'd predict this would go somewhere great. "Metanoia" does a fantastic job setting the tone. It's lush, ethereal, and downright mystical, invoking feelings of an unscathed mother earth. "Forget the Future" has a different approach with these playful little notes. Sometimes music can trigger a deep and explainable nostalgia, a memory of a place you've never been, yet no so well. Around two minutes comes a harsher sounding drone (harsher than the rest at least), and it's a fantastic ending to the song. "Take What You Want" has a similar feel as the last one for me. More of these funky little notes that swim seamlessly under the thick atmospherics. Some electronica kinda elements, I'd say. Two minutes and we're joined with a new synth sound, it's great, but my complaint would be a somewhat abrupt transition from note to note, as well as an abrupt ending. I might be more fond of it if the notes melted into each other with smoother transition, but it's still great. "Only Temporary" employs a sound kind of similar to any number of physical instruments, most apparent though would be a violin, in my opinion. Alternating between two notes as it slowly grows to a cleaner, more slick sound. beginning to fade out, the notes begin to resonate more as they drift away. The transitions are still a bit rocky, but much less than before here. It's a great sound. "Dendrites" scamps into your ears and hearts with a melody that seems straight out of an old advertisement/demonstration of some early computers. That's what I'm thinking, at least. There's some light percussion here, the first I've heard on the album. Definitely not loud or booming, but it's a good thing, as it's layered under more lush pads to create a very well blended fruit smoothie
. Ends very abruptly."Time Will Pass" has some percussive-sounding notes, just a tad, like they could be some midi steel drums, but could also very well be a simple piano. A high frequency melody joins it for an almost unsettling set of alternating notes, I really enjoy that aspect, amazing sound. A synth straight from the 80's begins to drone magnificently. Even more drone influence later in the track, buried under the rest. A lower and thicker tone. "Pretend it Never Happened" starts pure ambient, but some more quiet percussion comes in here. Beneath the ambience, a simple and simple drum beat jaunts along. The layering on this album is fantastic, I feel all the sounds are in just the right place, with just the right volume. "Vacancy" has a harsher sound again with a slightly higher degree of distortion. I mentioned the transitions befre, but with two synth lines going at the same time, the abrupt changes are overpowered by the smoother and louder ones. This is a standout for me. "Desperation Days" is another standout. All these melodies are so familiar, yet distant. Makes me think of rainforests on hot days. In fact, a nature-esque theme is present throughout this album, I can't help but imagine these woods. But, unlike a lot of stuff I listen to where it's a cold, dark, and frosty vision of bleakness, this is a sunny and carefree feel. The end of this song has the most distorted drone so far, and it's an amazing fade out. "Lonely, Afraid" comes through with some more electronica influences. A drum beat accompanied well by the joyous melody. In the back is a twinkling sci-fi synth. "Sensations" is much the same way, kind of an almost trance-like sound. A thick and dark drone like the ending of "Desperation Days" kicks off the title track. The lower and harsher drones on this album might be my favorite element. There's not many, but they're so well placed and always comfortable in texture. This track takes a more dark ambient approach and the shift in feeling is a wonderful contrast. "Chapter Two" is some more beatless, pure ambient. Nice and tranquil but nothing super special. The closer, "Remember Me Fondly", in my opinion somehow manages to combine dark and lighter ambient, leaning more towards the light stuff. Light takes over as another percussion sound sails us to the end of the album.
I thought it was really amazing. Every sound, every synth, every emotion conjured is that of warm happiness, hazy nostalgia, and a mysterious playfulness like small imps hopping around the forest floor, undetected by anything.
8/10 would listen again