Title: Shadow of Memory
Artist: Abandoned Place
Genre: Ambient
Release Date: 4th April 2008
Label: Thonar Records
Album Review
ABANDONED PLACE was born in 2006 after a long lasting process of Romain L. to find the right form to express himself musically. A hard process of producing followed and now we can hear the end result titled ‘Shadow of Memory’. The homepage carries the addition ‘Part I’, what is suggesting that it is only the first part of a cycle of albums.
A strange characteristic of the album is that there are no titles for the tracks at all but this turned out to be a good decision in the end, when I went through the world of ‘Shadow of Memory’. It’s like entering an old deserted house. Everything inhales the breath of decay and a past long gone. Dust and dirt is everywhere and in every room of this place yet something is still there in this solitude. Still there’s something left of the people who once lived inside these walls and one begins to wonder what thy might have looked like, what they experienced here and how they spent their days. This is the scenario in which this record is taking us. Each of the eight nameless tracks is like another room, containing past memories and feelings and the further the album processes, the deeper you dive into these spheres. The means Romain is using to create such a sonic microcosm are both simple and effective. The basic elements are usually samples of different kinds and sometimes you can’t even tell what a sound that is, but it does one thing: It builds up atmosphere. The most essential thing an ambient track has to do. It shall create pictures and sceneries in our minds. Another repeating element is the dark string layer applied on the tracks, mostly sticking to minor chords and floating throughout the rooms like a theme of the past.
The ‘Shadow of Memory’ is an impressive debut from a new act in the ambient genre and I s perfect for all people who admire pictorial soundscapes and music that gets without words.
Tracklist
01. Untitled – 7:02
02. Untitled – 7:26
03. Untitled – 10:42
04. Untitled – 9:34
05. Untitled – 5:04
06. Untitled – 5:27
07. Untitled – 6:46
08. Untitled – 8:08
Members
Romain L. – All music & Production
Website
http://www.abandoned-place.com/ / http://www.myspace.com/abandonedland
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 9
Sound: 9
Extras: -
Total: 9
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