I was looking for some music in the background while I was working. It shouldn’t be too dominant, while I had to concentrate on an article which I had to write. So I thought, let’s try the new cd of Önd, a dark ambient project of Nicholas Szumowski. At the first tones I thought that this material would be a little too heavy and noisy, but it did not take long before things calmed down. The first piece is also the most industrial, while the second track sounds the most serene, while still featuring some mysterious machinery deep down. The third piece gives me more a sense of mystery, it is rather haunting. ‘IV’ possesses an unearthly beauty.
In fact I found the music on “For influence blooms of the subtle wing” quite suitable while working. Low, monotonous rumblings, with some softer ambient sounds in the background. Not melodic at all, no distracting samples, no cluttered sound structures, but rather bare soundscapes with only gradual changes in composition. Some tracks have a rather mantra-like ritual effect, through the power of minimalism and repetition. By the time the last 20 min. track began I had finished my article, and the effect of the music also seemed to have ended, halfway this track I became a little impatient. Nevertheless pleasant background music, with a hypnotizing effect at times. By the way, as usual with Somnamulant releases, this cd by Önd with seven untitled tracks has a nice dvd-case packaging.
