the majority of ambient music seems perfectly content to remain in the background, taking a position of lesser importance relative to whatever else it is that the listener has going on. “ravedeath 1972” does a fine job of filling that background space, yet isn’t afraid to shift into increasing waves of distortion and subtle repetitions to let you know that something more is happening. i am here and i’m much more interesting than that email you’re reading. you still get the mellow and transportative experience that you receive from the best of attempts in the genre, but ravedeath has that added dimension… it reminds you that there is something more going on than mere background noise. i won’t attempt to decipher the plot, but it is nice to know that there is one; from the orchestral movement-like pacing of the songs, to the cover art, to the song titles themselves. this record is fun to pay attention to. that may be an odd statement to write, but oftentimes paying close attention is a difficult task when there aren’t lyrics or obvious rhythms to keep one focused.

i also admire the respect the album pays to the importance of the space it was recorded in. for music so preoccupied with reverb, it’s wonderful to hear the room it was recorded in playing such an important role in the sonic structure. not to mention the organ bass in ‘hatred of music ii’ is a sub slayer. the new tim hecker. try it today. http://www.kranky.net/