Unlike many ambient and drone composers, who keep their music all dark and moody, The Green Kingdom keeps it light and moody; or maybe melancholic is a better term—gently strumming away, looping a few sounds, adding reverb and the music drifting gently like the wind.
Gently strumming away
These days, the former Russian label Dronarivm operates out of the Netherlands, so it’s easier to purchase their releases. Buying directly from Russia may get you in trouble, as I recently read somewhere; in that case, it was a release from this label. Michael Cottone is The Green Kingdom, and it’s the sixth album I hear from him. Ether, he says, “in the literary sense, can be defined as ‘the clear sky; the upper regions of air beyond the clouds.’, or more informally as ‘air regarded as a medium for radio‘”—and I must say I was instead thinking about the informal sense, expecting, perhaps, some radio waves being processed, playing along with the atmospheric guitar music. That is not the case, but atmospheric it is. About his previous album, Voyager, I wrote that the music is light, which is still the case. Unlike many ambient and drone composers, who keep their music all dark and moody, The Green Kingdom keeps it light and moody; or maybe melancholic is a better term—gently strumming away, looping a few sounds, adding reverb and the music drifting gently like the wind.
The wind here is not a storm; there is a significant difference. I am not entirely sure of whatever Cottone adds to his guitar playing. Maybe nothing, save for many sound effects and a looper pedal. However, I can imagine there are also some synth pads used. I admit not being blown away by his choice of titles, “Etheric Tide,” “Gathering Clouds,” or “Sun Domes,” which sound a bit tacky to me, maybe too descriptive. This is some very pleasing music on a sun-like day as I experience today, a cold yet sunny Autumn day. It fits the season’s spirit, and the light outside shines in the music. Best to sit back, relax and enjoy.
Review by: Frans de Waard / Vital Weekly #1411. Reprinted with permission.
Ether Hymns is available on Dronarivm. [Bandcamp]
