This is the second collaboration between The Black Dog and three former members of the Psychick Warriors of Gaia, so there is a real sense of heritage here, not to mention a huge collective studio brain. Together the five make some pretty remarkable music, using warm analogue sounds that shift slowly and atmospherically. Most of the music is made in an upper treble range, and sounds like a dream sequence as a result, but when the bass side of things comes into play the effects are striking, as in the beginning of second track ‘Petrichore’. Each track has a sense of progression, playing out over seven, eight minutes or longer to good effect. In the case of ‘Unconcerned, But Not Indifferent’, this means a softly oscillating chord sequence that gets overtaken by shrill, distorted treble. This is ambient music as we properly valued it in the early 1990s, making use of its equipment to make strange but beautiful noises. It also, crucially, gives a bit more back with each listen, whether the listener is focussed or in a heap on the floor!
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Ben Hogwood
