Release Info:
Artist : Troum
Album : Acouasme
Genre : Ambient
Label : Cold Spring
Catnum : CSR213CD
Source : CDDA
URL : http://https://www.discogs.com/Troum-Acouasme/release/7808509
Mode Info:
Tracks : 6
Time : 01:06:47
Size : 116.86 MB
Encode : LAME 32bits version 3.98.4 (http://www.mp3dev.org/) -V0
Quality : 231kbps 44100Hz Joint Stereo
Tracklist:
1. Aliens Laughing About Us 7:48
2. Acouasme 10:58
3. Omega Melancholicum 10:05
4. Outer Brain Outsourcing 12:59
5. Somnolenz 7:00
6. Signe Du Miroir 17:57
66:47 (min)
There is a concept that originated in the ancient world that each planet
generated its own tone, like a musical note, based on the shape and size of its
orbit: the musica universalis or æmusic of the spheresÆ. Pythagoras theorized
that each celestial body (including the Sun and the Moon) had its perfect
resonance and that the quality of life on Earth was linked to the pitch, tenor,
and harmony of their æhummingÆ. Plato felt that astronomy and music were
linked, both finding expression through mathematical formulae. The music of the
spheres was not meant to be understood as literal music, being inaudible to
human ears, but I have a feeling that if Pythagoras and Plato ever dreamt of
what the planetary symphony might sound like, I think they would have imagined
something much like Acouasme, the latest release from the German duo Troum.
Stephan Knappe (otherwise known as Baraka[H] and the founder of Drone Records)
and Martin Glitschel (Glit[S]ch) have been working together for upwards of
thirty years, first as Screaming Corpses and then as two-thirds of Maeror Tri,
so itÆs hardly surprising that they are one of the most consistently excellent
acts around. Yet, even by their standards, Acouasme is outstanding.
æTroumÆ is the Old German word for ædreamÆ, a root that gives us both ædreamÆ
and ætraumaÆ, which is a dichotomy that suits the mood of this album rather
well. To return to the musica universalis analogy, the pitch of the planetary
drones in this case seems foreboding, melancholy, and fearfulùsomething that
portends a difficult time but also the possibility of survival and renewal. In
a more practical sense, the music is made up of the sort of fathomless drones
that have become the bandÆs signature over the yearsùa black ocean of sound
that rises and falls like waves and tides.
As vast as Troum can sound, however, there is also something intimate about
them. Perhaps itÆs their reliance on acoustic sound sources (something that
easily distinguishes them from many other æambientÆ acts), but Troum are
cotton, not rayon, a little downier yet less sleek than their synthetic
counterparts, and also a little cosier. Their music may call to mind the
endless expanse of space (complete with the ever-present layer of static
remaining from the Big Bang), but it also speaks to the infinite within the
human psyche.
Listening to Acouasme is an emotional experience, or at least it should be. To
use it as background sound is to insult it, to deny its full potential. You
wouldnÆt throw on 2001: A Space Odyssey as background while you clipped your
toenails (or if you would, youÆre probably the Antichrist). No matter how busy
you are, how many commitments you have, or what might be happening to distract
you, give yourself permission to disconnect and actively listen to this album;
breathe with it, let it conjure images for you, and move along to it. It is
quite possible that you will not have another album that can take you to the
places this one can for a very long time. Such experiences are to be embraced.