Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words
Old ghosts, new ghosts, all ghosts
iDEAL Recordings
As a long-time connoisseur of textural ambient music, my ears are fine-tuned by now to the odd detail, to anything that makes one collection of drones and weird noises sound different from its predecessors. This Swedish outfit have bravely kicked every ambient cliche in the ass and sculpted a wonderland of bracing dark ambient on this amazing platter. Honestly, it takes patience and a singular aesthetic to pull off a record like this. It's divided into two sections (per the sleeve), titled "Circles, fucking circles" and "No ghosts." Hardly matters to the ears though, as what you get is a very steady, self-assured travelogue through alien landscapes or really bizarre dreams. "If you touch me I will disappear" features a sinister low-frequency sound that is genuinely unsettling; other tracks make use of inventive drones, clanging sounds and odd percussion. "Three nineteen a.m." and "Closer, closer still" are just two of the grabbers among many. This isn't friendly music, and if you don't like ambient, much of it will repel you. But in the realm of aurally compelling, mysterious soundscape music to get lost in, this is one truly superb piece of work.
- Kevin Renick