Dark Music Review – In Two Seas
Written by Casey Douglass
In Two
Seas is a split dark ambient album by Mario Grönnert and
Mondfish. Mario Grönnert is an ambient musician from Germany who
enjoys specialising in the ambient and drone subgenres by combining
keyboard, piano and synthesizer sounds. Mondfish are a band project
that was formed by Japanese musicians Kaetsu Takahashi and Yorihisa
Taura. I must say that the music from the two artists sits very
comfortably together on In Two Seas, the tone and pace of each
track fitting really well with the one that comes before it. On to the
tracks.
The Tracks:
Mario Grönnert - Of
Departures
A slow start with one
elongated note at a time stretching into the distance. Other notes
join it and play around it in a higher pitch, the pace still subdued,
the music quiet. An introspective track that gives time for any
emotion to breathe.
Mario Grönnert -
...and strange horizons
A higher pitched start
than the previous track, gentle bursts of sound swelling and dying. It
also features something I quite like in which a sound takes on the
guise of vocals but isn’t. Soft piano joins proceedings as the
sound continues to wax and wane.
Mondfish – Euphoria
A track that almost
sounds like it begins underwater, such is the effect of the low tone
of the beginning sounds. Odd notes of piano pierce the gloom however,
along with other higher tones. I like Euphoria but it sounded to me
like something more darker than euphoric.
Mondfish – Slowdiver
A low drone is played
with by a high pitched tone, the backing almost sounding like a
prolonged “Om” which I quite liked. There is a tone later in the
track that puts me in mind of the sound you get when you dial an
engaged phone-line. It’s softer than that but the repeating noise
gives a great impression of space.
Mondfish - Hidden
pieces
A gentle start to the
track, faint sounds joined by gentle plucked guitar. There are echoes
and clicks as the track continues, the guitar notes becoming more
plentiful and echoing. Again, a track that builds a great sense of
space.
Thoughts
In Two Seas is a quiet,
introspective dark ambient album that soothes and creates some very
nice soundscapes. I enjoyed the time I spent listening to it but it
is the kind of dark ambient that I really have to feel in the mood to
listen to. With this is mind, I give In Two Seas 3/5 personally, but
if you enjoy the more subtle elements of dark ambient music you can
add one to that rating to bring it up to 4/5.
Visit the In Two
Seas page on Bandcamp at this link for more information.
I was given a free copy of this album for review purposes.
Album Title: In Two
Seas
Artist: Mario Grönnert
and Mondfish
Artwork: Christian
Herzer
