Troum — Mare Morphosis

German ambient experimentalists Troum are back with the third and final part to their "Power Romantic" trilogy, Mare Morphosis. The arrangements for this album were created from 2009-2013 and partly based on Bach pieces. Taking the form of one long, flowing track, Mare Morphosis builds upon Troum's already large ambient vocabulary and adds unexpected surprises to the mix. Genuinely engaging for its 50+ minute runtime, Troum's close to the "Power Romantic" trilogy should please even the most jaded listeners.

Mare Morphosis, starts off light and orchestral. Based on my (not too in depth) knowledge of Troum, this is a step outside their normal oeuvre and possibly a sign of things to come. This gets even more evident about five minutes in when the drum beat starts. When given this cd to review, I never expected to be nodding my head to it.  The beat is smooth and pretty simple, but the floating, airy synth sweeps and drones help to elevate the song to something far greater than the sum of its parts. Towards the end of this groove's seven or so minutes, the drums stop and the keys take on an organ feel. It gets pretty church like and, whether you're religious or not, it makes you thankful that rad music like this exists. The second part of Mare Morphosis is more familiar turf for Troum. Sounding like a soundtrack to massive cave exploration, the large, luscious drones fill the listener not only with a sense of scope, but also beauty. Not wasting any notes, Troum truly understands how to craft with drones and soundscapes. And if that beauty wasn't enough, the drums make a comeback. Although they're in less of a head nodding capacity than before, they're still welcome. Where the first drums were elevated by the synths, these drums help to bring down the synths to a more subterranean feel. One almost expects to stumble upon a cult practicing an arcane ritual like in Temple of Doom. When this fades out, we're treated to the final part of the album. The closing eight minutes offer a time for reflection. There's an almost tidal quality to the interference of the drones. Sit on the rocky beach on a gray afternoon and think about what you've just been through. Quality finish to a quality album.

Troum are masters of ambient drone. When you think you've heard it all, they're there to show you that they're one step ahead and ready to teach you a new path. I really enjoyed this new direction and will definitely check out their future albums. Hey, even if they go back to their standard sound, it's still gonna be great, right?