Artist................... Kubusschnitt
Album.....................Kubient
Label.....................Self-Released
Genre.....................Ambient
Release...................05/30/2006
Street....................xx/xx/2006
Encoder...................LAME 3.97 beta
Quality...................--aps 44.1kHz/joint
# NAME TiME
01. Kubient 55:24
This album sees Kubusschnitt exploring a different
side to their character as we just have one very long
track- and not a sequence to be heard! As such I
suppose it would fall into ambient territory but if so
this surely must be one of the finest albums I have
heard from that style all year. There is more going on
in these fifty-five minutes than a whole label full of
releases from some outlets I know. We begin with
wordless choral type pads both deep and angelic along
with twittering insectile sounds. It is all very
peaceful but at the same time highly descriptive. It is
as if the sun is rising above a beautiful warm utopian
village, deep in the hills, unknown to the rest of
civilisation. Bright shimmering drones float upwards
then fade into the distance like morning mist rising
from a lake, being burnt off by the sun. The changes
are so subtle that at first I hadn't realised them but
by the fifth minute the sound palette had developed a
much darker texture. The faint howling of some strange
creature can just be heard low in the mix.
Things are now getting rather eerie. Maybe this utopia
wasn't all that was promised. Many of the pads have
developed a fizzing hissing edge to them mixing with
the sound of a windswept moorland. Maybe the village
was a mirage, enticing the unwary. These windy effects
become increasingly strong. By the twelfth minute the
faintest of melodies can just to be heard in the
background- an echo from better times perhaps- or a
herald of change. Once again things develop a brighter
character- but still with a touch of melancholy.
Sighing effects add slightly gothic tones as warm pads
swell making the whole thing seem uplifting in a
spiritual sort of way, taking us out of our body to
soar above the clouds. The atmospheric conditions soon
become more active however and we gently return to
Earth. Clouds darken, the wordless pads now sounding
like lost souls rather than angels. Distant crashing
sounds bring up images of war-ravaged landscapes. We
now descend to just one windy drone over which is
placed the occasional bright tone followed by
percussive effects and reverberating electronics.
Surely we have moved far from our Earth to one of the
more unpleasant areas of the cosmos- or maybe we are on
the edge of some fevered dream. Gradually normality
returns but there is still a feeling of great loss,
slow mournful melodies floating serenely in the air.
Gentle whooshing sounds come in waves, heralding
another change of mood as things are stripped down to
just a couple of drones out of which things build
again, starting with gurgling noises and twittering
effects. Proceedings become increasingly abstract and
chaotic as we enter the last ten minutes, only for
tranquillity and order to return featuring some of the
most obvious, though still delicate, melodies on the
entire album. Beautiful little guitar licks add a hint
of mystery- and that is how we finish. This is an album
that goes to show just how talented Tom and Andy of
Kubusschnitt are. Sure, they can create exciting Berlin
School tracks but they are also equally at home
producing some of the finest atmospheric music there
is. To me this isn't ambient - it demands your full
attention and if given is an extremely rewarding
experience.
We use LAME 3.97 now, which is approved.
55:24 min
80,1 Mb