For many reasons, winter seems to be the perfect season for dark ambient music. The sun goes down early; in the far north, it disappears for months. While some people experience a mild case of seasonal affective disorder, others tumble into alcoholism and despair. And yet, the landscapes of winter possess a desolate beauty all their own, and those who are accustomed to ice and austerity cherish the barren days of bitter cold and whipping winds. As Auden writes, "One must have a mind of winter | and have been cold a long time | not to think of any misery in the sound of the wind."
North is an album that will seem foreboding to some and inviting to others. Those who hate winter will probably not like this album at all, while admirers of Admiral Shackleton and the Endurance expedition will probably love it. In fact, North would be the perfect soundtrack to a documentary on Arctic exploration. It offers shimmering drifts of drones offset by watery sonics that reverberate like walking staffs being plunged through ice. While field recordings from the North Atlantic Sea are integrated into the mix, the hidden track 'Kyrill' is a pure slice of natural activity captured in a European windstorm.
The album as a whole possesses little light, but as the five long tracks unfold, the work begins to accumulate a density of awe. 'Drift Ice' begins the set with distant drones that slowly come into focus. This sets the tone for an album that possesses very little silence, choosing instead to vary intensity through the layering and subtraction of processed noise. The instruments used (accordion, mouth organ, guitar, and gong) are flattened to a thick paste and as such are difficult to distinguish from one another. The layers gently gain in volume and intensity, but never topple into distortion. Instead, we feel as if we are gradually walking into the great unknown.
Those who are not staring at their music clocks will probably miss the moment in which 'Drift Ice' becomes '12 BFT' but one minute in, the change becomes apparent. This track features a host of crumbling, creaking and crunching sounds which momentarily send the howling drones into the background. Watery noises are introduced midway into the track, and gradually recede, making way for an encroaching wall of sound, which finally seems to wear itself out by the track's end.
'Novaya Zemlya' begins with what sounds like waves lapping against a docked boat, but eventually becomes the set's most musical track, introducing obvious notes and percussive elements by the midway point. The slow transition from random noise to measured beat is especially effective; unfortunately, the effect continues a bit too long, threatening to make us think more of water than of ice.
By the time 'Tracepath' arrives, we are quite ready for a change. This cut again showcases instrument over drone, keyboard notes slowly unfolding over against a fall of light flurries, until the two switch places at the six-minute mark and we are returned to the intensity of the first two tracks. Finally, 'Blurred Visions' draws the set to a close, growing from the album's only moments of near-silence to a textured morass of bells, ghostly chants and icicle-like tones.
North is Tobias Hornberger's second album as False Mirror. Since completing the album, Hornberger has produced a sound installation at his university and toured the waterfalls and geyser fields of Iceland. A third album is in the works, partially inspired by these journeys. I have every reason to believe that as Hornberger continues to gains in experience, he will continue to grow as an artist. North already stands out in a crowded field, and is an easy recommendation for fans of the dark ambient genre.