Artist: Robert Scott Thompson
Tracklist:
| 1 |
Breathing Space |
4:24 |
| 2 |
Infinitude |
6:00 |
| 3 |
Vertex |
4:20 |
| 4 |
Transit Shift |
2:40 |
| 5 |
Star Gazing |
1:54 |
| 6 |
Edge Of Silvered Moon |
5:04 |
| 7 |
Sidereal |
3:30 |
| 8 |
Vox Novus |
4:21 |
| 9 |
Flux |
1:22 |
| 10 |
Adrift |
9:45 |
| 11 |
Conjunction Of Opposites |
10:36 |
| 12 |
Pax |
9:39 |
Sidereal is a new semi-long form ambient recording from Robert Scott Thompson. Sidereal is Thompson s musical impression of the background noise of the universe, that miasma of cosmic static that permeates all of space. Which is not to say that Sidereal mimics or recreates those sounds of the cosmos. Instead, what ambient music pioneer Thompson has done is create a work that is truly sublime and exists in a constant yet subdued state of flux.
However, even more of a testament is that Sidereal has moments so wonderful that you may want to freeze frame the CD and just bathe in the musical bliss you hear at any one moment.
The pervasive background textures (which are barely there sometimes) lend an air of cosmic spaciness to Sidereal. On headphones, this continuous stream of electronic shading is better appreciated than on speakers, although on loudspeakers, the music takes on a more traditional ambient feel and gives the CD a certain palpable spaciousness and openness as the music hits the listening environment.
Like Robert s last album (the ultra-ambitious and awesome Acousma), reviewing an album like this is not about relating a blow-by-blow account. It s more a study in capturing the mood and sensations of the album. I don t know that I could even do that very well (without writing another 1,000 words) but Sidereal is an amazing album because it somehow manages to be intellectually (and artistically) challenging and stimulating yet is also completely accessible for almost any ambient or spacemusic fan. One section of Sidereal is blissful with floating synth chords matched against high-pitched synths lending an air of celestial magic. This is followed by an alien soundscape of whirling effects, disturbing 2001-ish drones, and a sense of immense expanses of blackness. Yet later, arrhythmic clangs and percussive effects play out against piano that recalls parts of Ennio Morricone s score to Carpenter s The Thing - a tangible sense of dread and loneliness settles over the music. Then, the music quiets way down with a simple background machine-like drone (almost like the background noise on the spaceship Discovery from 2001). This section morphs into Eno-esque ambient heaven - full of minimal piano, gentle synth shadings, and a sense of gossamer-thin beauty, held together by plucked-strings and graceful snippets of melody. If you like spacemusic or floating ambient music, I d find it hard to believe that you won t enjoy exploring the various sonic terrains that Robert Scott Thompson maps on Sidereal. I played this CD five or six times and enjoyed it more each time, as layer upon layer of the album revealed itself to me. It s also the rare ambient recording that rewards both direct and indirect listening. Somewhere between light and dark, Sidereal sets its course for the area of deep space which can be both inviting and scary as it reminds us of how infinite the universe is and yet also how, with spiritual synchronicity, we fit squarely into it all. Sidereal (if there is any justice) should finally garner the praise and recognition that has eluded Robert Scott Thompson for far too long. It s that good an album and comes highly recommended.
