The merge between synthesizers and the ethereal new age do make up for an interesting combination, one that always remains comfortable throughout the album; when they’re there, the arpeggiated synths give an interesting edge to the compositions, making them a bit more corpulent.
Always comforting and at the same time engaging
Let Go Your Fear presents three pieces in true modern new age fashion, that is with layers of electronics building up to a really smooth and pleasant atmosphere. And when it comes to being pleasant, this LP most definitely succeeds, as the aesthetics of it are very much new age for the most part; there’s a lot of really delicate keys and synths that sometimes pop up as sweet motifs passing by, there’s good emphasis on easy textures, and generally speaking the album never quite gets hyper futuristic despite its reliance on electronics. However, the merge between synthesizers and the ethereal new age do make up for an interesting combination, one that always remains comfortable throughout the album; when they’re there, the arpeggiated synths give an interesting edge to the compositions, making them a bit more corpulent, but again it’s hard for this record to ever be bold considering how smooth and almost flowery it comes off as.
The first track in particular may be the smoothest, and also my favorite of the three. Common reoccurrence on this album is the extensive reverb, always applied to the sweet melodies, making them feel even more relaxed. And said melodies shine best on “It Just Is the Love It Feels,” as it is the track that’s most focused on them; it’s not as atmospheric as the rest of the record as a result, but on the other hand it also gains a bit more of a dreamy sound thanks to that. It also doesn’t quite shift as often as the other two tracks do, but it does still introduce new components halfway in, also quite melodic. The piece elegantly stacks melodic lines as it goes on, and I say elegantly because it doesn’t really emphasize progression, it’s just really smooth.
Track two, “Inside Eyes Sparks Fire Under Ice,” is a bit more mysterious instead. First off, it’s clearly more in ambient territory, so atmosphere is a bigger component here; it’s also not an ethereal or light atmosphere, the synthesizers that open up and stay to accompany the piece are quite unnerving due to their reversed effect. I like how the other elements to this track play a lot with volume, there’s some occasional swells that give the piece quite a bit of power, as it then flattens back down into its more subtle atmosphere. It may overall lack a bit of the magic of the first track, but the way it slowly moves and grows into a larger soundscape is always entertaining.
Still quite delicate in its ostinato ::
The 20 minute closer also takes its time, but rightfully so. The track is really hypnotic, mainly due to the ever-present arpeggiated synth-line that opens up the piece; it’s almost trance inducing, as it’s still quite delicate in its ostinato. Over this arpeggiated line, the other components operate in similar fashion to “Inside Eyes Sparks Fire Under Ice,” as the piece sometimes grows and becomes brighter in its first half.
The second half is more interesting, as there’s a quite drastic shift; one of the crescendos that you’ve heard until now decides to simply not stop, and the piece builds up to a rather busy section that acts as a transition into its second half. It’s a surprising moment when the music doesn’t quiet down like it did every single time prior, so you end up being caught in a moment that’s far more tense than anything else on the LP. Initially you may also think that the song will move away from this busier section as well, but instead it start building with it. Only after a while the track goes back to being more minimalistic, and instead of being like the hypnotizing first half, it now shines light on its newly introduced melodies, going back to the sound of the beginning of the record and putting less emphasis on the atmosphere.
All in all, even if there’s a rarely a wow factor to Let Go Your Fear, the LP is a relaxing listen. It’s gentle and smooth, and I always appreciate ambient and new age albums that rely a lot on dynamics, as they provide the movement that such gentle atmospheres may need. Turns out that dynamics do work, because there’s rarely a dull moment on the album, as it is always comforting and at the same time engaging.
“Let Go Your Fear is an invitation – an instruction to me – to drop the perfectionism and trust in the power of play. Life is short. Let’s go.” Jo Johnson, June ’24
Let Go Your Fear is available on Castles In Space. [Bandcamp]
