Almost everything about this LP is really engaging and well executed. It nails its details, there’s so much variety in the longer tracks that it’s difficult to feel bored by their repetitive atmosphere or palette, as all the variations or added textures f5point6 displays make these tracks work incredibly well.
Deriving strength from frosty landscapes
As chilly as its album cover would have you think, A World Within Our World derives its strength from long, immersive tracks that really do set the tone for some frosty landscapes. A lot of droning pads and light textures help achieve this sense of cold, especially thanks to how sharp the contrasts seem to be between the ethereal and the dark textures on this LP; this aspect makes a majority of this album a bit unnerving, it’s not quite a wonderful walk in a snowy forest, it’s almost as if you were lost at times. There are bright moments as well, which do also give this record a good amount of variety to make its tracks all stick out in some way.
The opening tune “Konis_” is possibly the most unique out of the longer tracks, setting the most intriguing atmosphere. It makes extensive use of microsounds, noisier glitches, and hypnotic pulsating synths. This makes the track really cold indeed, not in a robotic way, but in such a sterile and stiff fashion that is almost surreal. It is not to be though of as clustered, it’s rather open and spacious instead, because despite how much is constantly going on, the reverb applied to the synthesizers and the percussive thuds that appear later does make the track come off as pretty vast.
I really like the use of tonality later on, a motif is introduced to periodically come back every once in a while, and there also seems to be a lot more focus on layered pads instead of clicks and cuts; this makes the second half of the track really pleasant, and it works really well thanks to how smooth the transition into it is, as there’s a brief moment where all the clicky textures seem to quiet down and leave room for smoother tones. The use of said smoother instruments is also quite nice, as they seem to be or at least try to mimic acoustic instrumentation; the motif is being played by a flute, and a lot of the noise in this part stems from string instruments, possibly a harp or a zither. These changes make the track feel a lot more human in its second leg, almost giving it a new life.
Truly special is “Fertile Ground,” which also opts for a great transition. It also stars off as a cold, desolate piece, though this time there’s barely anything going on, it really is desolate. I do love this first bit, the constant playback effect sticks out so much over the incredibly thin background pads, giving off a really strong sense of distress, almost as if it shouldn’t be there. Around 3 minutes in is when the change happens; momentarily stripping down to let a lead melody come in is what makes this transition so fantastic, as it is the first (and only, really) moment on the LP where you get a properly fleshed out melodic component. This really makes the piece stick out, not to mention that this melody is so pleasant and smooth that it’s like a warm hug in the midst of the album’s chilling soundscape.
Comforting atmosphere ::
Noteworthy is also the bassline that comes in, as again it’s not only warm as a bassline usually is, but it’s also not something I hear very often in ambient music like this; sure, there’s always some bass in ambient music, but a proper, smooth bassline is not something that you find very every day, nor does it usually work that well. Here, it works wonders, and it’s what really makes the piece so special in the end, as it’s still kind of an ambient bassline—if such a thing exists—given that it doesn’t really revolve around any kind of groove or motif, nor any recognizable style of playing that you’d immediately associate with a specific genre. The comforting atmosphere that it sets is broken up by some fantastic synths, so sharp and chilling that every time they swoop in they bring with them a sense of shiver.
The title track and “L’Artico Blu” are rather similar; they’re the two most uneasy tracks on the LP and really thrive off of their more unpleasant and denser textures. The former is especially tense, it never seems to settle down to try and establish a real sense of atmosphere, rather it derives its atmosphere from how nerve-racking it is; synths are constantly morphing, and on top other synths splash their way in only to fade away shortly after, creating a sea of uneasy timbres. I do prefer “L’Artico Blu'”s calmer approach though, I think it makes it one of the more immersive pieces on the whole album.
The last track also stands out, as even if it’s not as good as the captivating longer pieces, I always appreciate records like this one when they end with a good touch of color. “Multidimensional Excursions (Revisited)” is a highlight thanks to the fact that it’s almost completely unrelated to any other track, as if winter was finally over and this track was the coming of spring. It is that much more lighthearted, warmer, and more colorful, mainly thanks to the acoustic drums at play and the really expressive vocals. It makes for a rather pleasant finish.
Almost everything about this LP is really engaging and well executed. It nails its details, there’s so much variety in the longer tracks that it’s difficult to feel bored by their repetitive atmosphere or palette, as all the variations or added textures f5point6 displays make these tracks work incredibly well. There’s rarely any truly ecstatic moments on the album, but that does fit into its also static and rigid nature, helping it keep a steady and really well realized atmosphere all the way through.
A World Within Out World is available on See Blue Audio. [Bandcamp]
