Following up from 2019’s Heat Death (also on Castles In Space) and 2018’s Janus (Pubic House), Alderson Loop stirs similar gauzy sound spheres, broken beats and downtempo flurries in a brisk 31 minutes.
Cultivating further synthesizer drones, tones, and fuzzy electronic vistas
Cultivating further synthesizer drones, tones, and fuzzy electronic vistas, Dalham is an expert at creating tantalizing bursts of emotion and Alderson Loop reinforces it, once again with the Castles In Space imprint.
Following up from 2019’s Heat Death (also on Castles In Space) and 2018’s Janus (Public House), Alderson Loop stirs similar gauzy sound spheres, broken beats and downtempo flurries in a brisk 31 minutes. 10 tracks spanning everything needed in a compact and fluid release, tracks like “Yuno” flow with static electricity and a thumping nostalgic pulse that fans of Crisopa and Boards of Canada will easily absorb. “1l_2017 U1” takes a more abstract trajectory—steeped in instrumental beat juggling, the underlying crunchy rhythm baffles the ear and is mind warping beauty with its atmospheric undertone. There are thick analog ambient tones as expressed on “Forrice” and the short interlude “Severn” that will simply take your breath away, not surprisingly.
Dalham delivers perhaps his finest album to date, a eclipsing foray into bubbling modular synths are in tune with each other, dancing and fluttering about (ref. “Polaris” and “Arkon”). Echoes from Dalham’s recent past slither through to encapsulate these sweet sound capsules. And yet the simplicity of Dalham’s mysteriously sonic groove—listen to “First Gate” and its Stranger Things themed arch—are inspiring and utterly consuming. A whirlwind of stirred emotions, Alderson Loop manifests itself as an infinite musical journey as the title suggests, one that continuously loops in the mind, one that soothes, transports and evolves—its production value registering high on the radar. “Red Forest” attracts all of the above-mentioned notes into a dreamlike state of ambient propulsion, drifting, falling, and gently swaying in the background as it tickles distant memories.
Not too dissimilar from previous outings, the London-based synthesizer voyager, originally from Suffolk, finds a way to distract us from these strange times and at once signals us to dive into these unique sound bubbles. Grasp the rhythmic shapes, downtempo bass thuds, and whimsical melodies, Alderson Loop is a crowning achievement and a highlight for 2020, a release in constant rotation.
Alderson Loop is available on Castles In Space.
