I believe this is the first "official" release from this somewhat "new" dark ambient project (which has been around for several years, but prior to this release only had an mp3.com CD in 2002 to show for it), and I'm pleased to say it's a very strong offering that I would imagine should solidify a name for the artist behind the work, as included within are nine tracks of flowing and atmospheric material that carry themselves quite while.? The compositions average six to eight minutes in length and tend to revolve around soft low-end hums and lush midrange movements that are often accented by both sinister textures as well as subtly musical synth melodies.? Don't get the wrong idea though, while clearly very thought out and intentional, the work isn't so structured that it feels like concrete music, and the melodic elements are very tactfully presented in my opinion, nothing comes across as cheesy or forced at all.? I'd say that the material tends to be fairly repetitious and consistent within its individual components (not to mention as a whole, as there's a great sense of continuity throughout), but again I find the whole approach to be rather relaxing and efficient, so that's not an issue at all.? The sound quality is also nice and resonant, so there's a full and encompassing presence that fills the space well.? "Where Lords Dissolve" is one of the more musical pieces, using distant piano behind some ominous noisescapes and synthesized string arrangements that hover closer to the forefront.? I use the term "noisescape" rather loosely, as there's nothing harsh about this release at all, but some of the more experimental sounds do have that noisy dark ambient bite happening to add a solemn feeling.? "Bed of Leaves" is the shortest track at a little under four minutes, prominently displaying some piano lines over ethereal ambience that swells back and forth in volume and density, while the 8+ minute title track ends the disc with lots of shuffling over distant hums and resonant swells of bass.? As with a few of the other selections, the title track is definitely amongst the more soundtrack oriented pieces, those that sort of suggest more of a visual or narrative element somehow, and I enjoy that.? "Drowning for You" is a bit darker than some of the other pieces, running eight minutes and using a slower pace with a tendency towards more abstract sounds and characteristics.? This sort of style continues in "Shadows Embrace", which is a little deeper and more spacious in arrangement, so there seems to be less layering, which allows more breathing room for each texture.? The latter half of the disc is definitely a bit more abstract than the former, though little musical elements still seep in and make their mark, but that does give the entire set of songs a sort of global movement from start to finish.? The CD-R is housed in a clear DVD case with color artwork on both sides, as well as some tiny sepia toned photographs, all of which carries an autumnal sort of aesthetic that I imagine ties into the record's title.? Minimal information is included, and I'm not even sure where in the US this artist is from.? The disc is limited to only 100 copies, and I imagine it will sell out at some point.? One of my biggest complaints with the experimental genre as a whole is that it's so overcrowded with nonsense that such strong releases as this are relegated to criminally low runs, because I truly feel that far more than 100 people ought to hear this work.? You can tell a lot of effort went into thisand there's definitely an overall sense of quality here that a lot of artists lack, especially coming from more of a truly underground calling.? Good work, I'll be looking forward to hearing more, and I hope Temperature Within receives further opportunities based on the strengths of this material.
[Stridulum]
Running time - 58:11, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: Where Lords Dissolve, Drowning for You, End of Fall]
Stridulum Recordings - http://www.stridulum.net
