Between Buildings and Trees

Between Buildings and Trees

Andrew Thomas

Kompakt

http://www.kompakt.fm/artists/andrew_thomas

(373 words)

This week I'm listening to Between Buildings and Trees by Andrew Thomas from the Kompakt record label. Thomas is a New Zealand based artist who has composed music for film and theater.

I enjoyed listening to this album. Ambient/chill-out music can be very hit or miss for me chiefly because it is difficult to strike a balance between sonic experimentation and listenability. Thomas has managed to excel in both of these areas and create something that is more than the sum of its parts.

The overall sound of the album can be described as floaty, ethereal and dreamlike. Very easy on the ears. Thomas constructs mood and fluidity with swirling synth pads mixed with acoustic sounds. What at first can sound like swirling for swirlings sake reveals careful programming and composition upon a closer listen. In this way, Thomas has managed to keep his tracks interesting. Many ambient albums suffer from overly long droning and a feeling of not getting anywhere.

To be fair, I've listened to enjoyable ambient songs that do seem to drone on and on forever. That is what they were created to do and they do it well. Where Between Buildings and Trees stands out is in its accessibility. None of the tracks are over 7 minutes in length. Which can be a welcome change from 20 minute epic drone tracks. Also, the use of synthetic as well as acoustic textures prevents songs from having too much of an "electronic music" sound which can cause fatigue outside of a club situation.

The song Moth in Mouth provides an example of Thomas' mastery of mood setting. The background consists of enveloped, gated white noise and gentle synth pads punctuated by the rumble of deep piano hits. Eventually, a sinister orchestra can be heard almost like evil thoughts creeping into one's mind.

This is an album I would recommend to my friends that don't like "music without words". I would suggest that they listen to it while relaxing, reading or even a long drive. Anything that doesn't require much movement and allows time to focus on the ears and let the mind wander.