It's been quite some time since I encountered anything new from Beneath the Lake, but this full-length sees the duo of Dave Canterbury and Nicolas Lampert once again creating a rather lengthy journey into experimental soundcapes using electric and acoustic guitars, samplers, synths, organ, electric piano, recorder, rain stick, gong, hand drums, floor toms, and various effects. These compositions were recorded over the course of six years, so some of this material even predates their 2002 debut in one way or another, but the end result is fairly similar in its blend of subdued musicality with often sinister dark ambient undercurrents. First up is "Empty City", one of the more musical selections at 13 minutes long, relying heavily on recorder and hypnotically pulsing guitar chords/notes above the abstract field recordings. 12-minute "Fire & Rain" opens with a few minutes of samples of crackling fire before subtly thick low-end and sparse sustained notes start to join in and everything gradually fades over to blend the fire with samples of rain as the lush notes start to return in altered form with watery reverb effects applied to add density and movement. These samples carry over into "Silent Uprising" - which, within a minute, has transformed into a despondent mass of resonating ambient tones that's quite encompassing. Several minutes in a lightly crunchy sort of percussive surge starts to create a rhythmic pulse as the drones thin out and layer a sizzled midrange hum with some powerful low-end throbs. "Chasm" is then the longest track at a whopping 22 minutes, though sadly I don't really care for its initial wave as the drones used are... well, I'm not sure what word to use. They're not cheesy, but something about the sounds employed on some of the layers just rubs me the wrong way and kind of clashes with the generally more organic and restrained flow here. Unfortunately it's not until nearly 12 minutes in that a dark ambient style starts to overcome and win me back over, but not for long, so... as a whole this track simply isn't very enjoyable to my ears. A shame since it's so damn long! "Blind Inspiration" follows and opens on a windy setting that also takes a stark turn towards more ominous territory minutes in, with slow paced guitar chords coming at around the eight-minute mark to start a slow rise and fall towards the closing fade. The disc comes in a matte three-panel 6" x 6" digipack with the disc secured to the center panel on a foam mount, and all of the printing is done in brown ink for a minimal, consistent appearance that looks quite nice. No text is used on the front cover, so the entire span of the outer packaging really highlights the beauty in the dreary setting - much like the music, which sort of finds solace in a strange sort of bleak, hypnotic lull. I'm not as overwhelmingly intrigued or moved by this disc as I was by "Inside Passage", and as mentioned, for me "Chasm" is a bit of a blemish here, but by and large this is a nice disc that continues the group's knack for crafting warm, organic experimental soundscapes that convey their environmental influences well, while creating chillingly suggestive atmospheres in the process. And that's what counts for the most here. Nicely done.
[Glass Throat]
Running time - 69:55, Tracks: 5
[Notable tracks: Empty City, Silent Uprising]
Glass Throat Recordings - http://www.glassthroatrecordings.com
