Always In Postscript
willamette
Own Records.
SCQ Rating: 77%
In terms of a winter
record, Always In Postscript is a no-brainer for both its tundra-like façade
and being released amid the cavernous lows of January. It could be argued that
the quality of ambience captured by willamette over these eight transient
compositions has the potent chops to attach itself to any season and, while
that could ultimately be the case, the moods swept up by these progressions
breathe best in closed-up, wind-ravaged rooms. The album title seems to
encourage an aftermath
Always In
Postscript’s title references this notion of aftermath best, instilling further
the collection’s winter-still sense of finality and remembrance through a
minimal selection of blurred tape loops and subdued orchestration. Keyboard
melodies rise just audibly above the clouded forces of ‘un court theme pour
lyla’ and ‘balustrade’, allowing our minds to fasten these fragments into
something personal. Often it’s the suggested elements of willamette’s
composition that help Always In Postscript sidestep the expected Stars Of the
Lid comparisons, while still providing an insular soundtrack to devote our
memories to.
Noting how the
difference between “insular” and “isolated” can carry giant repercussions on
the resonating impact of an ambient record, it’s important to note that Always
In Postscript bears too much warmth through its disciplined instrumentation to
truly feel barren. Its blank slate landscape will absorb the listener’s
surroundings and naturally react, with ‘images d’une longueur de cheveux’ and the
title track likely to imbue an austere but romantic quality as well. However
icy and fogged over its domain may sound, the listener remains sheltered. For
that reason, Always In Postscript stands most impressively as a hibernation
record.
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