Databloem and dataObscura continue the label's penchant for discovering new talent, in this case Germany's Tobias Hornberger, who records as False Mirror. His debut CD Chronostatic Scenes is full of dark, primordial soup stuff of the sort that Robert Rich fans would do well to check out.
"Plato's Last Dream" sounds very much like the haunting lap guitar and deep organic drones that often open Robert's albums. An effortless segue into "A Divine Passage" brings synths that wail plaintively. Colder and harsher is "Beyond the White Plainscapes", the sonic equivalent of a cold dry desert wind. "The Tower of Deception" is a gurgling heady brew of synthetic soundscapes. Strange softly clunking sounds appear in "Drift Towards Zero". Water is a recurring theme, and appears prominently on "The Subterranean Border". Rather than dripping or flowing, it sort of churns restlessly, becoming more active as it goes. "An Instant Drowning" adds white noise to the water, a seemingly monochromatic piece that is nonetheless fully engaging.
The album is rich with textured sounds that are more like layered sound experiments than music at times, but the result is always interesting and in its own way quite soothing.
Sometimes when I want to relax I want the music to be less intrusive, but more interesting than a simple drone, and Chronostatic Scenes fills the bill very nicely in that regard.