Many years and thousands of miles in the making, Ben Powell (as Llyn Y Cwn) brings forth his reworked field recordings on Megaliths. Recording the giant stone structures placed all over Britain, he is giving the listener an intriguing look into an ancient time where science and mysticism meet, but seen through the modern lens of engaging ambient. While the stone circles, pillars, and other structures will give unique experiences to those that visit, Llyn Y Cwn strives to give the same personal experience to those unable to make the trek to these fascinating places. Hoping to recreate the magic that the sacred spaces exude, the recordings are rife with reverb and a darkness that helps to bring one back through time as well as to feel the essence of the stones themselves.
Ten tracks based around ten legendary stone formations, Megaliths is a sprawling experience that will transport the listener not only across Britain, but across the ages. And, as many sites have been shown to have significant ties to astronomy, the drawn out, reverbed drones will help the listener transcend out world and have a look at the space beyond our world and feel the oneness with the universe that caused the ancients to build these gorgeous structures. Based on Powell's field recordings, the sound of the stones is entrenched along the sweeping winds and talkative wildlife of the area. Stretching the sounds with delightful reverb, the recordings take on a much larger sound and the thickness gives even more gravity. For the processing involved, the pieces all still carry a nice, natural feel, although it appears more through experience instead of casual listening. What starts off as something artificial gives way to something organic upon deeper listens. Interestingly, while the megaliths are all studied on the surface, Megaliths channels the essence of the rocks themselves, giving glimpses or the world beneath the surface as well. The sweeping of the winds, the views into subterranean space, and the visions into the universe all combine to show how important these locations are to our history and their enigmatic charm can still inspire even to this day.
Megaliths is a wonderful study of some of Britain's most famous stone circles. Llyn Y Cwn takes their study a step further and introduces a sonic element, of not only the stones themselves, but of the living areas that surround them. Keeping their provenance alive with these field recordings, Megaliths not only captures the mystery of the structures but also the power of the location in which it was erected. Transcending time and space, Megaliths is a fantastic look into human history and the juncture of science and mystery.
