Nam-Khar — Antimon

Crafting ritualistic rebirth and psychological transformation through drones, analog synths, and varied ambient textures, Nam-Khar's latest has the artist leading the listener through alchemical transformations of sound through a Jungian lens. What sounds like a lot of paper is easily understood by the body when Antimon begins to play. The seven parts present a meditative ambient that allows the listener ample opportunity for introspection, the music serving as a boatman through the stygian rivers of the mind.

Antimon follows the psychological alchemy of the self, one's transformation through the Jungian archetypes. Sticking very closely to this, the songs are all titled following this process, and are enlightening even on their own, but provide even more insight and direction once the sonic component of the journey begins. Starting off dark and brooding, "Melanosis" is the confrontation with one's darkness - the shadow work we must do to come to terms with and move past our inner shadow and proceed to our whole selves. Nam-Khar keeps this aspect pretty restrained, and the central drones remain midway, never too dark nor too light, instead utilizing different textures and oscillations to give the piece its depth. Crispier waves add tension and fill the streaming sounds with life, one's past coming forth, teasing, taunting, and presenting itself for examination. The opener, while darker than the others (which makes sense thematically), sets the stage for what's to come, showing texture and depth over a slowly moving guideline, giving the listener many opportunities to dip, delve, and dive inward along with the work. Antimon progresses nicely, clearly following a set path, which is great not only from an album aspect but for those interested in the alchemy and psychology behind it all. In addition to the traditional sound sources one would encounter in this genre, Nam-Khar add in some cultural/ethnic instruments that speak to the ancient parts of our brains, linking us with the music on a deeper level. Connections like these resonate and allow for further introspection and self-investigation, a successful strike for Antimon. Nam-Khar does a great job of leading the listener through this process on a solely sonic level, but those even remotely interested in the background should give this a little extra investigation and open up a whole new corridor in their mind.

Nam-Khar's Antimon is a very intriguing look at self-discovery through meditative, ritual ambient. The alchemy that influenced Carl Jung's groundbreaking work has clearly made its mark on Nam-Khar, and its latest is a great, sonic representation of that approach to psychology, reflection, and introspection. Because of this, Antimon is very easy to get lost in and its light, fluid construction is more of a complement to the listener's journey than instructions. By the time one realizes what's going on, the album wraps and it's time to hit play again, which is a very good, healthy cycle.