“Drum blues.“
Most ambient projects give you variations on a theme. They may be artful, lucid variations on a distinctive theme, but each release ultimately gives you something familiar. Earthen Sea is an exception.
Jacob Long’s personal discography showcases an unusual progression. 2015’s Ink and 2017’s An Act of Love use eerie samples that wash over subdued dub techno beats. 2019’s release Grass and Trees introduces a greater variety of beats and samples with a fuller texture. The 2022 release Ghost Poems uses ever more abstract sounds with cascading loops that intersect hypnotically with the background rhythm.
But by taking a leaf from ‘ECM’ jazz, the characteristic hypnotic samples are carried forward by a rhythm section that for once, physically exists. We’ve shifted from hearing a dying rave three doors down, to seeing a live studio ECM piano trio — albeit with an eccentric set of loop pedals. Another characteristic feature of Earthen Sea’s records are the beats. But by sampling a real drum kit and using creative bass lines, this album has an analog intimacy which gives it character and warmth.
The bass riffs are a stand-out feature on Recollection. Most ambient music is known for its texture rather than melody, but the bass riffs on this record give a distinctive voice and structure to each track. A clear example is the “Sunlight Leaving“, which alternates between its two riffs. The first has its notes where you might expect them, so its rhythm carries forward the track in a conventional way. The second bass riff leaves notes hanging, giving no clear cue on the track’s rhythm. So by shifting between these, the track moves between structure and flux, form and formlessness, solid and fluid.
“Sunlight Leaving” of course never quite feels settled, and few of the tracks do. The melodic bass riffs give structure, but can leave tonal ambiguity. The Rhodes piano fills out the texture with partial, seventh and ninth chords that are periodically detuned. And the samples and effects typical of Earthen Sea often leave a vacant, wanting atmosphere. This lack of resolution gives the repetitive music a sense of intrigue.
The track titles give a good indication of their atmosphere. The first five tracks (“Present Day“, “Another Space“, “Sunlit Leaving“, “A Single Pub” and “Neon Ruins“) tend towards a downcast, wistful atmosphere. The sixth and final tracks “Clear Photograph” and “White Sky” provide a calm feel. The intervening seventh and eighth tracks “Cloudy Vagueness” and “Abstract, Tell“ provide a pleasing liminal space.
In conclusion, Recollection is a welcome contribution to an evolving ambient-techno project. The fluid shift between differing emotional states, combined with the fresh innovation of acoustic ECM samples, leaves a satisfying aura.
8/10
Recollection drops on the 15th November through kranky records and can be pre-ordered here.