Æra — To the Last Man / Index of Dreaming
Consistently quite synthetic, Æra's sound palette buzzes with constantly morphing life. The albums do sound as if all the material was creating using a single synthesizer, but the textures here stand separate from other ambient artists, and Æra is clearly a master of his instrument. A world of possiblities are revealed within the limited realm of texture he chooses to explore.
The two albums are different enough to justify themselves. "Index of Dreaming" is a slower piece of unobtrusive, undulating drone, while "To the Last Man" is more active and dramatic. On "To the Last Man", the synth textures blare with a determination to express rarely found outside of Romantic Period classical music, unafraid to occasionally flirt with harshness.
"Ennoæ" is likely the highlight of the whole 2 disk set, incorporating percussion right on the line between tribal hand drum rhythms and electronic dance beats, recalling the processed but still organic feeling percussion found on many Steve Roach records, though Æra sees fit to leave significant space by abstaining from the layering of rhythms or the building of energy over time.
The earth-shattering "Out of Many, One" inspires a sense of alarm with clustered dissonant tones that suddenly erupt into impressive volumes out of the resonant, brooding soup that forms the rest of the track. The ending brilliantly delivers a few windswept moments of cinematic awe.
Closer "Ecquænam" blasts us with a magnificent string flourish apparently sounding through wet and cloudy heavens. A truly spiritual experience, this track conjures hieratic visions not unlike the obsessively and fearfully religious work of Olivier Messaien.
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"Index of Dreaming" is not quite as successful, but it is none-the-less a very enjoyable piece, especially as background music, or in very calm moods and quiet places. I found myself playing it at work. It feels more like one unified creation than "To the Last Man", which, though themed, took a different tone with each song. At best, this album finds a sort of timeless celestial harmony, sparking kaleidoscopic visions in the minds eye. Most of the record holds back and stays emotionally unimposing, allowing the listener space to enter and subsequently 'live' within the sounds. The songs drone on a bit too long, at times. "1-1", "2-1' and 1-2" typify this sound.
The final track here, "1-3", at 27 minutes, starts slow but begins to reveal itself about 1/3 of the way through when you realize just how pleasant the central bass drone is. It goes down like warm milk, although it can pass right by without being noticed, as well.
The best track, though, is probably "2-2", which combines the somber, yet in-your-face and emotive quality of "To the Last Man" with the 'open' sound environment of "Index of Dreaming". A plodding chord progression builds towards a moment when the track seems to fall apart in chaotic frustration, ending with a few displaced and distant sounding resonant whistles.
I would give 5 stars to "To the Last Man", and 4 stars to "Index of Dreaming". Considering that these two albums compliment each other very well and each makes up for the flaws in the other, this combined set gets 5 stars. Its an incredibly solid, thoughtfully created and emotional space ambient release that represents everything good about the genre, and could even introduce someone to it, although it still falls short of the true classics by Lustmord, Steve Roach, Robert Rich, Lull, etc