…a lot of these gargantuan tracks plod purposefully on, like brontosaurs slowly munching their way through some Jurassic swamp, oblivious to all around.
…a lot of these gargantuan tracks plod purposefully on, like brontosaurs slowly munching their way through some Jurassic swamp, oblivious to all around.
A huge sprawling record – one which Canadian dubstep warrior Kuma and oboist/DJ Lady Eve – spent a year putting together – but one that, given patience (because it is a very slow moving beast), is a pretty rewarding listen. At first I was inclined to think that I was going to be sitting through something that you’d hear in a dental waiting room, or some yoga instruction DVD, (especially when the incantation comes in on Air Into Gold), but I ended up playing this LP on repeat for two nights. And despite yourself you may well get sucked into this calmest, most unobtrusive of listens.
It’s gracious and well-thought out music, despite its essentially static, hypnotic quality (which sometimes means – on other records of course – things get sloppy or samey). At its best, such as on the winsome, faerie-like 2046 or the antediluvian Oceanic Yet Celestial we are reminded of the delicate soundscapes of Harold Budd or Roger Eno, especially when a teasing riff or ghost of a melody line floats in.
As I’ve said, it’s one of those records that, when left on repeat, starts to worm its way into your consciousness. I think this is down to the overriding calmness of Out Of Darkness, Light; a lot of these gargantuan tracks plod purposefully on, like brontosaurs slowly munching their way through some Jurassic swamp, oblivious to all around. And in that lack of change, with a preference to occupy mid tonal ranges, to lay down some pulsating, throbbing meditational noise (Madroning) or to put out suggestive, emotive blankets of sound (I Left My Heart At Arena Mexico and Full Moon For Quiet City) things can get very trippy indeed. The payoff is with the final track, a remix of I Left My Heart At Arena Mexico which is something else again.
Be warned, you can get hooked.