Review - Zero Ohms / Brannan Lane, Soundfall to the infinite.

This is a wonderful gentle melodic album, consisting of three pairs of tracks, each pair forming a sub piece. So, for example the last piece is 'Soundfall to the infinite" which is composed of "Soundfall" and "To the infinite". Got it?

Though this sort of music works well as background, there is enough tone and structure here to listen to directly, throughout the album.

On the first piece, "Beyond the Dream Garden", a mixture of soft chords gets additional click and trickle sounds echoing to either side. The impression I get is of warm resonant keyboards being played in an echoing cave. The sound of water really should be banned as an unacceptable cliché, but it works well enough here.

The second piece, "Endless Land of Blue Mist", has a similar pace and style, but is longer dominated by a simple but powerfully effective three note rising sequence. Again there are some echoey water like noises and rustlings, helping to develop the mood of peace and calm established on the first two tracks. On the second part a more detailed flute based melody dominates, but the mood continues to build.

The third piece, "Soundfall to the infinite" is one of the most stunningly beautiful and elegant works in the whole of the ambient genre. Again the theme is minimal, and echoed effects of tinkling and distant movement add to the sense of space.

This is reminiscent for me of "Music for airports, 1-1", by Brian Eno. It shares the powerfully effective melodic minimalism of that track's fragile beauty. I read one review of M.F.A. as "Music so beautiful you don't even have to listen to it". That also applies here, very strongly.

The "To the infinite" is less cheerful than than "Soundfall" but none the worse for that.

This CD really should be an essential purchase for anyone who appreciates calm elegance.

Overall: 9.5/10. New to ambient? Buy this! Like ambient? Buy this!