Artist: Nautic Depth
P: 2008
"Norvegia" opens the disc, a low drone bed with occasional sounds overtop, a very beautiful atmospheric piece that brings to mind the Nostromo disc by Sleep Research Facility. Very dark and somewhat ominous, "Norvegia" is inspired in its approach at conjuring a dark atmosphere. The transition into "Arkona" is nearly imperceptible, but as time passes it becomes clear that new elemements have been added to the sound. A haunting call, a deeper drone, we've clearly entered new territory but it all feels to be part of the same journey, a logical step in our travels. "Mercury" flows along in a similar vein, though there is a slightly denser feeling of higher tones and sounds, a slightly more "active" feel to the track. "Astrolabe" shifts the sound considerably, a sudden change to a warmer steady drone which comes across as somehow more inviting. It's an interesting study in aural dynamics, the way the listener hears different elements to the tone as it progresses, nuances in sound that are subtle at first but gain a greater significance as time goes on. After the relative warmth of the previous track, "Fram" brings us back to a particularly cold and dark space, where the feeling of isolation becomes particularly obvious. Other tones are heard on the edges of the soundfield, but nothing so clear that it can be identified or recognized, adding an element of fear to the proceedings that benefits the listening experience. "Aurora" closes the disc, once again returning to a sparse and simple drone, steady, dark, ominous. It ends slowly, quietly, gradually, done in such a way that you don't even notice it's over until it's done.
It should come as no surprise that a collaboration between such notable talents has resulted in such a wonderful disc. I wholeheartedly recommend "North Passage" by Nautic Depths as an excellent release that bears further investigation.
