The album has a journey-like feeling, going from one place to the next, maybe as if crossing a mountain; the higher up, the less air and people, the music condenses, and towards the end, the more melodic aspects pick up again.
A journey-like feeling
There are quite a few words on Bandcamp about this release. Still, who or what Jaufenpass is, I don’t know (other than: “The Jaufen Pass (German: Jaufenpass, Italian: Passo di Monte Giovo) (el. 2,094 m.) is a high mountain pass in the Alps in the South Tyrol in Italy.” Judging by the music, I think this is a one-person music project, using a lot of electronics, computer technology, a bit of piano and, perhaps, other instruments of an undisclosed nature. While much of the music on these ten tracks can be labelled as ambient music, there is also an element of glitch here: cracked digitalia, broken tape, or corrupt software, all of which give the music a different edge.
I understand from the information that the music uses many loops, being worked and reworked. None of the material has an all too overtly loop-like direction and is also not completely gone. These loops are mutated, so nothing feels too repetitive without change or looped for the sake of things being looped. The resulting music is atmospheric but is also demanding at the same time. This is not your soundtrack to doze off to. For instance, “Le Murier Noir” ends almost in a heavy metal/shoegazing vein. But there are also moments of quietness here, more traditional ambient, such as “Ricordo #2” or “Plum.” A track like “Cloud #2” is too short, sketch-like, and has an excellent piano sound yet all too brief. The album has a journey-like feeling, going from one place to the next, maybe as if crossing a mountain; the higher up, the less air and people, the music condenses, and towards the end, the more melodic aspects pick up again.
Perhaps I am looking for something that isn’t there or not intended, but it kept me in line with the band name and what I think is a trip-like theme of the pieces. It’s a very modern ambient with a bite, which is exactly how I like this music on my plate.
Review by: Frans de Waard / Vital Weekly #1420. Reprinted with permission.
Cloud’s Eye is available on Shimmering Moods. [Bandcamp]
