简介
Archaic Oceans is a sprawling two-disc set and Disc one begins with the monumental "Atlantis Rising," nearly forty minutes of glacially drifting tones and harmonics. It swells up from the depths with soothing waves of sound that remind me of both Rod Modell's Autonomous Music Project and Robert Rich's seminal Trances/Drones. The listener is caught in a prehistoric tide pool, swept along by ancient waves, soothed by the psychoactive qualities of the synthwork here. Eventually the track metamorphs into holy trance music similar to that of Wiese and Grassow, lightened by the ghostly vocals of Luna. Clearly, we are channeling the powers of these ancient bodies of water, as they call to the inner seas of blood within us, the tidal movements of our own flesh. "Atlantis Rising" is one of the best Oöphoi tracks ever, and certainly the high point of this set. "Ophir" is more hushed, a relief after the intensity of its predecessor. The buffeting soundwaves continue, this time dressed with spirit-synth breaths that recall the first Tau Ceti collaboration, Celestial Geometries. Disc two is quite different from its counterpart in the set--a much darker and spookier affair.We've descended beneath the waves for this one, treated to glimpses of strange and sometimes frightening underwater lifeforms. "Meru" is a zone of stillness reminding me of some of the tracks on Oöphoi's recent Dreams set. Eighteen minutes of evolving, phased drones pass slowly like the dreams of ancient whales. "Faroer" is the set's shortest track and also the least natural sounding. Piercing synth tones give way to almost inaudible droning that shines strange lights over a dark sea. "Piri Aeis" recalls why Gasparetti's ‘zine is titled Deep Listening--you'll have to listen closely to note all the subtle, strange changes in sound and atmospheres occurring over nearly eighteen minutes. Perhaps a little quiet for its own good, this track seems a bit too innocuous and intangible. Finally, "Ultima Thule" is even quieter, as though we've hit ocean's bottom to find ourselves under the silt and plant-life.