Lens - Visions Meet Light in the Cult House

Curious and challenging experimentation from Lens, with Visions Meet Light in the Cult House c82(!) on Field Studies Imprint. The front half pulses with a densely crafted crunching murk. Lumbering and thumping along, evolving into a haywire sonar signal. The flip on this one is what really captured me. For what seems like eons, a single thick stream of synth endlessly sustains until finally spiraling outwards into a multifaceted kalidescope of variations. Seems like more and more of what I listen to is primarily concerned with the audience, as opposed to this, which adheres pretty fearlessly to something that could very well be perceived as impenetribly difficult. Heck, the length alone was enough to give me pause. But the best things are made with uncompromising artistic vision, and over the course of this expansive journey, initial disjointed bits coalesce into something subtly overwhelming. Killer.

Edition of sixty, presented in the signature Field Studies aesthetic. Grab direct from the label.

Alan Gesso - Obliscence

I had an extremely hard time picking the words to describe Obliscence from Alan Gesso on Field Studies. Not because there isn’t anything to say, but because you could, literally, say anything. Gesso pulls from nearly every stylistic touchstone in electronic music, and does so with confidence and finesse. From bits of field recording, to pulsating sequenced melody, to raw texture, and then spacey ominous tones. Through nine tracks, nearly every conceivable genre is explored, occasionally within the same track. A typically diverse moment, the opener, People In The Stereo plays with spins of the FM dial, and is then counterbalanced by washes of ambient texture in the second, Another Heaven. Sounds like exploring the solar system as much as it does pressing play.

Edition of 100, grabbed mine, along with the rest of the new batch, directly from Field Studies.

Brett Naucke - Home By Now

A refreshingly classic, melodic approach to electronic ambience from Brett Naucke with Home By Now on Field Studies. Bits of shimmering light, steady ringing drones, evolving melody, moments of collective beauty, meant for both introspection, and perhaps observation. A stunning consensus is achieved between each element in the recording. That none should overwhelm the other, and indeed compliment the whole. The side A closer, Rilea, offers a moment of found sound, echoing voices, indiscernible shouts, that while out of context, so easily becomes a part of the experience. It’s a command of the mix that is truly remarkable. That something so foreign to the scope of the recording can become a moving and narrative experience. Sounds like a sky full of clouds nodding together in agreement.

Elegantly presented with perfect aesthetic cohesion on white shells, with a trifold jcard. Available from Field Studies directly, via distro at Discriminate Music.