STILL LIFE – OUT AMONGST THE COSMOS
Described as a new journey into the world of ambient trance/drone, the second release from Amongst Myselves, ‘Still Life’ will take listeners on their own personal journey.
Australian ambient musician, Steve Roberts, says ‘Still Life’ reflects a more calm part of his life.
This release follows ‘Sun in the Bottle’, which heralded Roberts’ emergence onto the Ambient scene in 1999. An 11-track journey into self-realisation and reflection, ‘Sun in the Bottle’ was well received by the critics and setting the scene for a successful second release from this solo composer.
While this album does reflect a calm part of my life, there are certainly some tracks that still send shivers down my spine, said Roberts.
Once again, Roberts has drawn on very personal experiences in his composition. ‘Encounter at the Bay’, reflects experiences from his own childhood spent on the south coast of South Australia.
The release has already been met with critical acclaim by critics from both Australia and the USA.
Jon Ray, from Lastsigh says Still Life is a recommended headphone experience. There is a fine balance between sadness and hope here overall it reminds me of slow motion montages, he said.
Powerspot FM host, Hans Stoeve, says that Still Life "aims at a sense of serenity, a quiet space one can retreat to and float away with."
From "one long sheet of sound" to "the sound of afterburners almost vibrating my Epos speakers off their stands", Stoeve’s review highlights the various elements of the release, that he believes could be interpreted as "new age" or "space music" by listeners.
Highlights from the album include ‘Ra’s Playground’ and ‘Safe in Narwang Baru’.