ARIA ROSTAMI & DANIEL BLOMQUIST – WANDERING EYE – GLACIAL MOVEMENTS

‘Wandering Eye’ is in part inspired by the Antarctic Plateau, and the astronomical sights that can be seen from it. It is Aria Rostami and Daniel Blomquist’s first collaboration, achieved by working together but also by manipulating their sound files as they sent back and forth. At all times the wide open textures, typical of a Glacial Movements release, give an indication of the space on offer at the location, but there are some clever forces at work behind the scenes. ‘Dome C’ and ‘Dome F’, the second and third tracks, make clever use of a dampened piano sound that comes to the fore especially in the latter, while ‘Ridge B’ takes its lead from a Persian folk song, reworking it beyond all recognition. With the use of field recordings the pair really take their listeners outside and into the elements, and headphone listeners will be rewarded with the equivalent of a rush of cold air against the night sky. It is an uplifting though calming experience, wholly recommended.

4 out of 5

Reviewed by: Ben Hogwood