
Opollo - Stone Tapes [Zoharum - 2016]Opollo's "Stone Tapes" is the debut of a new alias of melodic guitar drone/ambient musician Jarek Leskiewicz, a former member of Echoes of Yul (whose album "The Healing" I also reviewed on this site last year) and other projects such as Blurred City Lights and Naked On My Own. This particular album is themed after space exploration, and more specifically the moon landing, with pictures of astronauts and the surface of the moon all through the packaging. The sound of the music is largely that of cosmic drift ambient, quite similar to Steve Roach in that long, undulating melodic tones dominate the mix for most of the music, so reverberant and wet as to be ghosts of themselves. These chordal sounds do not drastically change in texture, but instead evolve melodically in a highly emotive way. Their eerie unfolding leaves luminous contrails, and haunts like whalesong.
In the case of Roach, the sound source is typically synthesizer, whereas here it is guitar. Thus, there is a bit more white amplifier noise and less unearthly smoothness. Similar to Echoes of Yul, there a few moments which depart into a kind of beatless shoegaze, the electrified epic drama of songs like "Rising", which has distorted post metal riffing that wouldn't be out of place in Justin Broadrick's Jesu project.
There are wonderful complex emotions within the progression of the album, which never departs from a soft, muted palette, but surprises me none the less. The album is a lot more romantic and personal than the space exploration theme would suggest. I'm fine with that theme being pushed aside, as there have been dozens upons dozens of space themed dark ambient records already (such as Lustmord's "Arecibo" project).
"Hour One" moves away from space ambient, this time into a more intimate, crackling analog feel, with surface noise encircling eroded belltones. This track recalls Biosphere's "Dropsonde".
"Suspended" is an intensely soulful piece, an alternation of two watery chords occasionally graced with sublime choral sounds. I am gripped with a feeling of intense nostalgia upon hearing this.
"Starburst" has glittering, glowing chords with such fervent, unabashed heart that they could have come from a piece of uplifting trance music. Steve Roach's music tends to be more distant and detached, and I can't see him ever going for a tearjerking moment like this.
I loved this album for its poignant tone, warmly inviting timbre and natural progression from beginning to end. I find myself going to sleep to it often, and playing it on repeat in the mornings. I would be glad for the chance to hear more of Jarek Leskiewicz's work.      Josh Landry
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