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 | Various Artists:Voyager (AdAstra - 1998) The first compilation from this fledgling label sets out to take listeners on a genre-ranging journey; Voyager does that, and quite well, too. An interesting itenerary awaits; pack your bags for a 71-minute excursion... |
| The first point of departure is at the realm of homegrown synthesizers; Saul Stokes' Ivaneer pulses and warbles, eventually being joined by subtle percussive effects. But, is it repetitive, or trance-like? Taking the listener over a narrow bridge between ethereal pop and ambient in their 8:11 track When Will It End?, Falling You mixes deep, wafting background electronics, a slow beat and earnest female vocals (you know... the kind with lyrics, even). I like it, tho I can already hear the "purists" grumbling. The track eventually breaks off into an extended, echoey dreamscape of assorted sounds, musical and otherwise, ending in a much more "ambient" fashion.
Next, it's another deep space excursion via way of Viridian Sun's Artiai... Muffled rocket-engine roar is overlain with various layers of effects, including shimmering sheets of glaze, weird atomic ripples and a bit of clunky bell percussion. As always, for this fan, an immersive celestial event. Falling You reappears for (not much more than a quick bathroom break on this trip) a brief 1:31 interlude, The Dream Begins in which Jennifer McPeak's voice wordlessly wails alongside resonating synth tones. Next stop... a dark, haunted, foul-weathered zone; Lycia storms in with the powerful and somewhat abrasive Dome. A steady radioactive downpour hisses continually, behind ominously hovering bass tones, and occasional screeching sci-fi strings. Not what I expected to hear from a band out of Projekt's Goth line-up... very "electronic/ambient" yet retaining a nicely eerie edge. Out of that darkness into another - Dzoqchen by Life Garden, too, is planted in an area of abstract noise, though more comparable to a billowing, spooky fog. From the rolling turbulence, one hears assorted ghostly sing-song wails, sweeping chords, deep rumbles, tinny percussion, electronic birdcalls, etc., etc. Destination... deja vu! It's a third appearance from Falling You (but, after all, they are AdAstra artists). Their beautifully murky sounds grace Solace; after a brief spoken intro, a delightfully oppressive atmosphere surrounds. Delicious in its sorrow, this track has a real sense of place... if that place is a foggy cemetery situated in a dark marsh. I like it! Around the bend... are we entering Trent Reznor territory? Exit uses whispery, angst-ridden vocals and slight electronics in the track Echoes. Sometimes, scary mutations give the voice a monstrous split (and psychotic!) personality. More of a quiet (American) industrial than ambient, but nicely done. The next leg is accomplished by time-machine... Lead's Rush includes several news samples from the '60s; a burbling bass leads the way and ebbing/flowing guitar waves wash around in the background. The journey veers into some strange urban wasteland; Gone Postal (Totemplow with Dr. 'Sup) funks up the dark with Skeleton Key; that's Totemplow providing the guitar (and bass?) distortions and, I assume, Dr. 'Sup contributes the downtown beats. After passing through its seemingly dark ambient facade, one enters a sparkling world of keyboard sounds in John Michael Zorko's Ocean Calling. Once inside, the automated ryhthms, sweeping synth strings and tinkling ivories take the listener dangerously close to a "new age" region. Aaaah! (It's nicely done and not just schmaltzy, really, but I just can't help using that dreaded moniker here...). Ambient Temple of Imagination leads the way to some hidden playground of the musical gods, Olympiads of Thelema. Muted voice samples open and the track develops into an extended drone, first of brassy tones, then of strings. Whispy little trillings, chirps and cymbal patters accompany, and a brief shower concludes. You know that last part of the trip... almost home, peaceful, a little tired... Larry Kucharz has contributed the perfect soundtrack for that time; Cosmology simply, beautifully, minimally resonates with long, long, subtly shifting, choral/string-like synth tones. Just settle in, relax and bask... |
| Of course, not everyone will enjoy every stopover on this sonic roadmap, but Voyager delivers a nice diversity of varying degrees of ambience. I give it a solid One-Thumb salute and look forward to AdAstra's future developments. |  |
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