Ambient music is often about BIG things - planets, glaciers, systems. Take Eno, Aphex's SAWs or the Biosphere discography - the imagery is boundless aerial/cosmic objects. (Or abstract views on household fruit.)
Ambient has a reputation of being distant and transcendental - something to zone you out of your bedroom into an imaginary context. In a way, it's the opposite of folk music, which keeps things grounded and concrete.
So what happens when you combine the two - ambient and folk? Well, it'd be like taking a headtrip, but instead of some dreamscape, its through your own experiences, nostalgia, interpersonal relationships, etc. That's exactly what loopman Dr. Responsible offers on his second LP Dryads.
Ambient folk isn't particularly new or novel, but Dr. Responsible does an extremely good job. He strikes a careful balance between the abstract and the familiar: It never sounds too predictable, or too obscure. In other words, it's enticing the entire time.
Opener Discover, Manipulation, Transcendence starts out droning, but the shifting overtones give it a distinct pensive mood. Come 2 minutes, and the rhythm creeps in from under your feet. From there a changing cast of loops take the stage before they combine, shimmer and fade.
If you thought the album would continue the same way, however, you were mislead. The next track Confrontation 1 is like an old country hymn that was beaten down and fixed with mechanical legs. It features hushed vocals that, while not all that present, add a nice touch.
The rest of the album is an exploration of these two styles - the droning ambient and the jumpy, interlocking loops. Some highlights include tracks Borreal Plain, which captures the digital-warmth oxymoron I love about Odd Nosdam and We Seek the Dryads, which will put you in that gorgeous/comforting headspace I thought you could only get from AnCo's Feels.
Dryads has some really inspiring moments, but it's not always that obvious or distinct. This album is characterized by its subtleties - the light guitar picking, the gradual manipulation of loops. It's not an album that will necessarily pick you up and grab you... you may need to give it an initial pull.
But the fragility isn't necessarily a weakness. Dr. Responsible isn't tracing planets or immense geological features. These songs are small scale, personal, even spiritual. A little personality makes it more relatable - like your buddy who pieces together loops in his bedroom.
Highlight - We Seek The Dryads
Stream Side A Of "Dryads" above. The rest of the album will be available 1/17/15
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