Northern Valentine
"The Distance Brings Us
Closer" CD
Silber Records
Genre: ambient, drone
Pennsylvania, USA
Feb 10, 2009 |
Also on Indieville: Northern Valentine select
their ten
crucial records! Married duo Robert and Amy Brown comprise the hypnotic drone act
Northern Valentine. The two of them have designed a mesmerizing work
of ambient music with The Distance Brings Us Closer Together, a
beautiful but haunting epic reminiscent of
Biosphere's polar drone adventures.
Surprisingly, no overdubs or post-production were involved in the
record's creation, leaving only guitar, violin, keyboards, and
bass. Yet, these droning, wistful passages of sound take you to a
personal and isolated spot, something you might expect out of a GYBE!
record.
The mournful resonance of "Born Yesterday" introduces Northern
Valentine's gradual opus, inevitably followed by the pessimistic "Dies
Solid," which leaves the listener slightly unsettled by way of its
hollow drone. This is peaceful music meant for dark rooms, although in
all its calm it still makes a strong emotional impact. Also splendidly
intense is "Escaping Light," which adds a sporadic bassline and some
eerie keys to its slow-moving core. Finally, the psychedelic guitar
swirls of "Already Gone" make for a deeply hypnotic finale to the
record, enveloping the listener in a mellow bliss until it slowly
fades out. As the disc reaches its end, a notion flutters into
consciousness and makes itself heard: The Distance is an absolutely
stunning work of drone music.
northern
valentine's myspace
87%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 5 tracks, distributed by
the
label,
released 2008] |