Memories Fade Under a Shallow Autumn Snow – Language of Landscape

This is the first release of 2010 for the netlabel Phantom Channel. It came out in January and I heard it for the first time recently on StillStream – I had entered into that state of perceiving the music as an environmental element, ambient indeed, when And The Rain Embraced Our Closing Words came on, caught my attention and blew me away.

It’s probably not really fitting to use the phrase “blew me away,” since this is light ambient music of the highest order; textured, melodic, and peaceful yet with an undercurrent of tension that adds a kind of narrative structure to the whole. But the music grabbed me, I jumped to the download link right away and haven’t listened to anything else since.

It might be illustrative to compare the release to Manitou’s All Points North, with regard to the heavy synth pads and melodic minimalism. But where All Points North has a kind of tonal asperity that makes it a bit monotonous on repeated listens, the use of piano and more prevalent melodies on Memories… keeps the music moving. Each time I’ve listened to it, my ear has grabbed on to some new bit of melancholic contemplation that keeps the whole release sounding fresh. Another comparison might be made to the various ambient tunes that Sigur Ros employs to move between their pieces of epic bombast, except that Language of Landscape maintain a pervasive calm and attention to detail that listeners don’t get from the Icelandic quartet.

Of the few reviews I’ve done so far, Memories… is the first that is truly ambient and one which I highly recommend. For those like me who are never turned off by noise and dark drones, but who have to be very selective when it comes to “light” ambient, this release is a compelling blend of structure and aural tension that makes for a very rewarding listening experience.