Dark Ambient Review: False Awakening

Review By Casey Douglass

Album Cover

Dreams are amazing but often so confusing. The way that we usually accept what is happening as normal, even if we’ve just seen a rabbit transform into a skyscraper, it just boggles the mind. When we wake up, we find it hard to understand our night-time mental state, how we could be so foolish and gullible. False Awakening is a dark ambient album from Drifting in Silence, an album that takes time to reflect on the dream theories of Carl Jung.

Generally speaking, the soundscapes contained on False Awakening are smooth and gentle, lulling and relaxing. Many of the tracks have a deep pulsing quality that carries the listener along in some audio mimicry of peristaltic movement, as if they’ve been swallowed by a giant trance-inducing cuddle creature. There are field recordings and warm electronic tones, along with guitar and piano notes. These elements do a great job of concocting a dream-like feeling of fuzziness and mystery.

One of my favourite tracks is Myth of Memory. It begins with the sounds of a gentle breeze, trickling water or rain, and birdsong. A wispy electronic melody floats into being, setting the soundscape into a pulsing, blanketed sensation of night fall and peace. Or, as I wrote in my notes, a marshmallow fog encasing the listener. There is a lower tone sitting beneath things, the tones all playing together to make the soundscape feel rich and deep. A peaceful track.

Another track that I wanted to mention is Unknown Archetype. This also opens with birdsong, but is soon populated with an airy drone and echoing, languid single notes. There are also small clicks or sounds of activity. This track, for me, had a meditative, temple-like feel. The kind of temple that you might see a character in a film stumble across, one hidden in an unruly jungle, full of furtive rustling and stern-faced statues. The tones twist down into a more ominous sound as the track progresses, leaving the listener to wonder if the temple is one of spiritual advancement or cannibalistic domination.

The last track that I wanted to talk about is also the last track on the album: False Awakening. It starts with a growing drone and what seems to be the static of a howling wind. There are plucked guitar notes and a shimmering too. The initial mental image that came to me, was of a dew-laden watering-can sitting on a wet lawn, the golden light of the rising sun making everything glow. As the soundscape evolves however, I felt a darkness creep in, or maybe a deception. The glowing dewy watering-can ended up sitting in a tight circle of sunlight, the rest of the garden remaining clocked in the heavy blanket of night. I liked this feeling, this weird, interesting place to be.

False Awakening is a dark ambient album that for me, produced a host of fun, dream-like images and scenes. As I said in my introduction, there is little harshness to be found here, which makes this a fine album to relax with or doze off to sleep to. There was a pleasing amount of both darkness and light, and I’m a big fan of the pulsing qualities that sit so comfortably in the soundscapes. To repeat what I said above, let yourself be swallowed by the giant trance-inducing cuddle creature!

Visit the False Awakening page on Bandcamp for more information. You can also checkout the track, False Awakening below:

I was given a review copy of this album.

Album Title: False Awakening

Album Artist: Drifting in Silence

Label: Secret Press

Released: 28 May 2021

Dark Music Review – Artificial

Review Written By Casey Douglass

 

Artificial, the latest offering from Drifting in Silence, is a return to form, DiS owing its beginnings to the wave of musical innovation that was just becoming known at the time as ambient music. Derrick Stembridge, the beating heart behind Drifting in Silence, affirms, "This album is going back to the roots of the project for me. Pure ambient." A glimpse back is no denial, however, of new influences and the project's continuing musical growth. Artificial pays homage, of course, as does the entire genre, to Brian Eno. But, Stembridge says, "this album is heavily influenced by William Basinski."

Artificial, Drifting in Silence’s new ambient album, is an album that resides at the lighter end of the ambient spectrum, in my opinion at least. I usually dwell at the darker end of the ambient scale, so I felt a little like a fish out of water when it came to reviewing it. That being said, I had a pleasant time making my way through the tracks, each flowing easily into the next in a smooth and pleasing way. Speaking of the tracks...

The Tracks

Empty – This smooth track features flowing light notes and a simple melody with pleasant variations. It brought to my mind feelings of an empty bright space and purity.

Takeaway – High notes hang as a lower drone joins, layers build and fade with an electronic hum. After the midpoint some distorted vocalization and echoing notes join in. This felt like a warm track to me.

Descent – A dark and brooding start with the faint sounds of waves and a low soft drone. Distorted notes emerge from the drone, fast paced and getting louder. Sounds crystallize in the second third of the track, a pleasing rhythm carrying the listener to the end.

Surface – Gentle piano/keyboard notes set a subdued tone before things lift a little and then fluctuate between light and dark. This track created the feeling of what it might be like emerging from underground to find things have changed above ground in your absence.

Oceans – A quiet beginning with a low melody as a drone rises. The second half has some vocalization and a ‘clippy’ rhythm, some notes sounding like laser blasters from a sci-fi film.

Artificial – A dark and resonance filled start, string notes swelling and fading. This track becomes a bit more varied and harsher sounding towards the end.

Falling – Low notes undulate as they are held. There is a lot of note-bending going on but the track has a gentle feeling. This track also sounds a little harsher as it progresses.

Origin – A very low melody starts things off, as if coming from somewhere low down. The melodic notes feature a metallic tang that puts me in mind of the Machinarium video-game soundtrack. A fun and quirky feeling track.

Across – Bubbling quick notes give the impression of tiny things happening, maybe a boiling impression of the primordial soup or universal foam. Relaxing and a little strange to listen to.

Emotion – A dark rumbling featuring a variety of notes and sounds. This track has a slow pace, but the tone or impression given is a soundscape thick with energy.

Stay – Low notes rising into a dark starry sky. That seems like the best way to describe this track, a brooding but expansive atmosphere.

Intheend – Echoing high notes feel plucked out of the air. A light distorted vocal joins about a third of the way in with the rest of the notes and melody creating a gentle background.

Soulless – A high note meets a low drone. This track is another that feels gentle and also features soft distorted vocals. The overall tone felt sad to me.

Thoughts

I enjoyed listening to Artificial, but I will admit that I’m not sure it would have been an album I would have bought for myself. Not that there is any lack of quality or novelty to it, just on a very personal level, I like my ambient very dark. What I heard in Artificial, with a few exceptions, was more a light ambient album, many of the soundscapes giving me mental impressions of light airy spaces filled with white light or shining reflections.

There are certainly some tracks that did appeal to my darker listening habits, such as the dark feelings of Emotion. There were also some standout tracks for me, in that their sound had something that appealed to me in a novel way, such as the catchy rhythm of Descent and the bubbling notes of Across.

If you like lighter ambient themes, Artificial will probably be a 4/5 album for you. For my own dark tastes, it’s a 3/5 for me. Enjoyable, intricate, but ultimately not to my own personal taste.

Check out the Artificial website here for more information and prices.

I was given a free copy of this album to review.

Album Title: Artificial

Artist: Drifting In Silence

Releases: January 1, 2016

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