I'm sure Plankton won't mind, as I've reviewed three of his albums already and none of Ki's, and anyway I managed to miss Ki's post more than once apparently when he asked me to include this. So for those reasons I'm moving Ki's effort up the queue.
And here it is.
Starboard – Psychephila (Ki) – 2016
A moaning, crooning synth fades us in with what sounds like a choral vocal effect perhaps, sort of sounds like wind howling across the moor or some lost soul wandering the trackless depths of the afterlife bemoaning its death. I'm sure it's meant to convey neither of these ideas but that's what I get when I listen to it. Long moments of silence, which is interesting, almost like someone taking a breath before issuing forth another low moan; no percussion at all, not so far, not that I can hear anyway. This opening track runs for just over eight minutes and we're already more than halfway through. You know, looking at the title - “Lost I” - then maybe I'm not quite so far off the mark with my idea of this being a ghost? It's certainly minimalistic with as far as I can hear just the one synth repeating more or less the same basic phrase; sort of an idea of Solar Fields in here. Doesn't, unfortunately, give me a lot to write about. “Port” (geddit? Starboard? Port? Ah sod ya then) is more kind of in your face with a heavy droning synth from the off, and is far shorter at just over the time it takes to boil a soft-boiled egg. Almost like a church organ at times here, may be guitar in there (this is the problem when you review music but are not a musician: it's sometimes hard to work out which instruments are being employed, though I'd be fairly confident that most if not all of this is on a synth or keyboard) with a rising, dark tone to it. Bit of a screech now (surely guitar?) as we head into the last minute, getting a little mechanised/industrial.
“Meteor shower” is a mere minute and a half, more of actual notes to the piece this time, whereas the previous ones seemed to be more drones; this has a dark, claustrophobic feel to it, but it's over too quickly to really critique it and we're into one of the two longer pieces – the longest in fact – with “Lost II”, which brings us back to that droning lonely synth again, though it seems like there may be more layers to the sound this time. I'm sure I can hear at least one other synth track going there. It's certainly very ambient, and of course a lot of the time the problem for the reviewer with ambient music is that it tends to change very little, or take a long time to change, so it's hard to really write about it properly. A higher, angelic-voice synth is joining now as we hit the third minute, but it fades back out pretty quickly, replaced by another. What's interesting about this is that outside my window I can hear birds singing in the garden, and they kind of mesh in with the music here. I don't know if Ki had intended or thought of using birdsong in his music, but if it's like this then it seems it would complement it quite well. Anyway, that's up to him; just thought I'd note the phenomenon. (It also gives me a little more to write while I'm waiting to have something more to write about!)
Halfway through now and it's pretty much the same rising, droning synth sound. I expect there will be no percussion at this point; I suppose it's not needed really. Sort of fades out and then comes back in, like a signal being lost (!) and then strengthening. There's some sort of industrial noise for forty-five seconds and then we're into “Lost III”, this one just short of ten minutes and the closer. It's immediately harsher, with some sort of reverb or feedback or some damn thing buzzing in my ears, and a sound a little like dustbin lids (remember them?) being rolled on the ground, then that thick synth is back taking over as the piece settles down. Some industrial-sounding effects (they're probably not industrial, but it's the only way I can describe them; sounds like machinery working in a big echoing warehouse or something) and some more feedback. This is certainly filled with more ideas, musically speaking, than the previous tracks, though it does start to get a little abrasive and hard on the ears, especially about a third of the way in. I think I preferred the long formless drone to be honest. By the sixth minute it's settling into a long drone that reminds me of the gradual sound of an airliner slowly receding in the distance.
Tracklisting and Ratings
Lost I
Port
Meteor shower
Lost II
Stop and listen
Lost III
It's a good album as far as it goes. Not for me; I prefer my music more structured and melodic, and while I don't intend any slight to Ki's music, this just seems to me a little shapeless. But that's just me. I'm sure there are people here who will appreciate it, like YorkeDaddy and Mondo and probably DWV. Others too no doubt. Doesn't do much for me personally though.