Downtempo/Ambient:
Arms & Sleepers - Black Paris 86
Label : Expect Candy
Release : November 2007
"He's Techno Tim. He's obsessed with techno." It didn't bother me, but I think some of my friends could use more tact. I've always been the one who loved techno trance house dance rave music as it's called. I started out like a lot of people who want to delve into Electronica; with the commercial stuff. That is with the exception of a CD I borrowed from my brother's German friend which really started my love with electronic music. Eventually after around 7-8 years of only Trance and Hardstyle I decided to broaden my horizons. Before really looking for new material, I wanted to pinpoint what I loved so much about Trance so that it'd be easier to know what I'd like. As it turns out, I'm all about atmosphere.
This whole "atmosphere" concept lead me to genres like Modern Classical and Ambient. I was looking for a picture to post of Jacaszek's Treny in the Last Downloaded Album topic and saw the album art for this. Of course, I needed to get it. I didn't know what to expect as I was still really learning about genres outside of Alternative Rock, Black Metal and techno trance house dance rave. It didn't take long for me to be smitten.
The whole album is so gorgeous and atmospheric. It's not
pure atmosphere like some Ambient but has a good amount so that it feels very lush and full. Each song really has its own "feel" and distinct sound and combination of melodies, vocals (if any), and use of instruments. It seems like they're drawing from a lot of different genres; Post Rock, Jazz, Ambient, etc. It's really like a playground of expression and emotion. One song really struck me and that was "Butterflycatcher". It goes from really a simple drum melody with piano and lush pad synth and a bizarre sounding sample that seems like it could have at one time been vocals. Out of nowhere it strips away to drums, some kind of brass instrument (tuba?), and what almost sounds like a xylophone. Then out of nowhere it becomes silent with a rather languid melody, and it goes back to what it started with and on top of it: a simple vocal sample that never fails to give me goosebumps. It's this constant change and movement, although maybe not as strong and sudden in other songs, that really makes the whole album feel impeccably made with a fine eye for detail. Then again if you're making a simple kind of music with not that many elements you really have to pin down your intentions. It's like design! I'm a minimalist so I really have to make sure each thing is, in essence, perfect because there's not much to look at so a mistake is that much easier to spot. If you're a crazy, zany designer and make a small mistake it won't be nearly as obvious and clear.
The whole album is really a fluent compilation of different stories and soundscapes. To me, if this album had a time or a place, it'd be the city and would span gloaming all the way to dawn. It's calm and simple but very clear and concise. It's a shame I found this so early in my discoveries because I don't think I'll find many albums much better. 9+/10