As I pop this album into my CD player I find myself taken to a despondent, bizarre world not like many others out there. Melancholy, eeriness and dimness, all collide perfectly together here to shape the album ‘Perspicacious Existence,’ by As the Raven Calls. As the Raven Calls is a fairly new solo ambient project centered around James Raven from Philadelphia, PA, though to call this project purely ambient would be a lie as there are some strong neo classical influences, and even some more experimental tendencies.
The opening song ‘Unto the Breach’ is a mysterious dark droning sort of ambient piece that after a few moments makes use of sorrowful piano sounds, which set the mood perfectly for this album. ‘Where Truth Tells Me’ features a similar arrangement, but has odd distorted voices in the background, while ‘Sometimes it is Hard to Feel Anything’ sounds like a synthesized choir, perhaps somewhat video game soundtrack-ish. ‘Mind' is probably the most experimental song on the release with an odd murky feeling to it and the slight sounds of industrial noise in the background. ‘Empirical Self or I’ is certainly also a standout since it’s a baroque like sounding piano composition whilst ‘This Tiny Dark Corner’ again starts out with some pleasing piano before probing back into the video game soundtrack territory. ‘Of Glory’ is another favorite with a strong neo classical ambient tone somewhat reminding me of the ambient work from Ildjarn. And before I start to ramble I should also mention the nearly eighteen minute ‘Cuchulainn’ that brings to mind the older works from Mortiis, but with the inclusion of a depressing violin through a good portion of the song.
My only complaint is that at times some of the synths sound somewhat dated compared to other artists in this field, but it matters little since I’ve been listening to music of this nature for numerous years now. Ultimately, this is a very diverse album full of flavor and unique characteristics making Perspicacious Existence not an album to be missed. Fans of more melodic ambient artists like Mortiis, Ildjarn, Raison d`être, Dawn & Dusk Entwined, Convalescent and The Victims Shudder should take notice now, and purchase with haste. http://www.astheravencalls.com
No comments:
Post a Comment