Paul Jebanasam - Continuum
Jebanasam's use of soundtrack esque synth drones, scattered ripples of sound, and stuttery withered samples come together and make some really great ambient music. Ideally I think that ambient music should be a sort of auditory narrative that you can get lost in, which Jebanasam accomplishes pretty well in this album. There are three long explorations on this album, with easy to remember titles such as "
depart as | air dx stop ∂ρ/∂ /dt somewhere = +∇⋅(ρ sigma*(y waiting -x) v)=0 ∂ρ/dy/dt for = you x dim," and each of them has some really jaw dropping and surprising moments throughout. The stark contrast between the really lush sounds and the interrupting samples creates some really fascinating pieces. Some parts remind me of It's Such a Beautiful Day in a way.
Not the best album of the year imo, but it is definitely one of the more beautiful and evocative ones that I've heard in a long time. If you've got ears, you've gotta listen.