The first album from Maitreya, From The Mothership,
was released back in 1999, and helped establishing Yeovil-based
ambient label Council Of Nine. Hailed as an impressive
debut, and a rather successful record for a genre often
too hermetically locked out of the wider electronic
equation, this first album contributed to Maitreya’s
mastermind Steve Lomax gaining respect amongst those
who were lucky enough to experience his work.
Four years in the making, Telluric Waves is
Simon Lomax’s second exploratory effort into deep
ambient soundscapes. In just under an hour, this album
takes the listener on an amazing journey through luxurious
landscapes and waves of sounds as the eight compositions
on offer appear almost static, evolving imperceptibly,
evoking the way ice forms and melts, crystal after crystal.
Yet, under the monolithic exterior of this album rest
myriads of sensorial elements stimulating auditory perceptors
almost continuously. The impressive sonic structures,
although minimal in form, with rare vaporous melodies
forming only to dissolve almost instantly, flourishes
with microscopic sparks of colours all the way through.
With Telluric Waves, Lomax takes his soundscapes
to a more earthy level as he swaps deep space for oceanic
splendours, with only muffled echoes of life occasionally
crossing the field, most notably on We Are Linked,
to establish some form of connection between Lomax’s
cocooned world and reality. The album opens with the
seismic Night Vision, the only track here to
be built around electro-magnetic pulses over which warm
crystalline waves develop, providing a stunning backdrop
for a gentle piano to linger for a while.
As the album progresses, Lomax retreats into the weightless
atmospherics he explored with his first album, yet taking
them to more sumptuous levels. The hypnotic Sinter,
Half-light or Telluric Waves show
the man constantly altering his soundcapes, feeding
on highly processed found sounds to produce ever-changing
structures, repeatedly avoiding the pitfalls of a difficult
genre.
Telluric Waves requires undivided attention
to fully appreciate its many layers and constant shifts,
and therefore is in many ways a difficult record. Yet,
thanks to Steve Lomax impressive control and clever
use of sounds, it rapidly becomes fascinating and reveals
itself as an immense step forward.
4.1/5 |
