The nature of a long-running project like Jon DeRosa’s Aarktica (in existence for over 25 years) is such that most listeners of the new Ecstatic Lightsongs are likely to be those who’ve been following his work for some time now. It’s the eternal struggle of the long-term working artist, but in this case also offers a lovely silver lining; those same listeners are the ones most likely to both notice and appreciate what makes this record stand out from the many ambient classics released under the Aarktica name (as opposed to his other endeavours). For one thing, here DeRosa’s vocals take center stage on nearly every track as opposed to just a few; but what might be even more striking to long-term fans can be summed up in one word. Drums.
DeRosa has been upfront when discussing Ecstatic Lightsongs about this being an Aarktica record that overtly nods to the post-punk, new wave, and post-rock music he loves, singling out late-period Talk Talk as a rhythmic inspiration. And sure enough, mere seconds into the opening “Trick of the Light” you can hear Mike Pride’s gently rolling fills setting the scene just as much as DeRosa’s ringing guitar. That Laughing Stock influence is most notable on “Laughing in the Rain,” where Pride and bassist Lewis Pesacov (who also produced most of the LP) immediately sketch out a similarly expansive, open space for the song to exist in. But the percussion here takes on more than one form, like the dusty, looping playing that opens “To Love Is to Believe” until it fades out as the track swells into an echoing, faintly dubby cloud.
Pride, Pesacov, and cellist Henrik Meierkord even put a shuffling spin on “Destination Paradise” that comes close to trip hop, not least because that’s also one of three songs here that features Britt Warner’s singing. Her and DeRosa’s interplay on those tracks is immediately compelling in a sandpaper-and-honey kind of way. DeRosa’s vocal tracks are often highlights on Aarktica albums, and their predominance here only confirms that they can carry a song practically on their own instead of just being an occasional ingredient.
Which is not to suggest that Ecstatic Lightsongs is a radical change from the kind of beauty Aarktica normally deals in, nor that DeRosa has abandoned his traditional strengths; although he adds synths here (in a less immediately surprising but equally significant departure from most Aarktica releases) his guitar remains the mainstay of the sound throughout and it’s always gorgeous, whether in the increasingly distorted solo playing on “Why Say Anything?” (the vocal track that most sounds like it could be plucked out of a past Aarktica release) or on the two instrumentals, especially the gorgeous duet with Meierkord that makes up “The Bird That Hides Itself.”
The digital release of the album closes with a bonus track that’s almost a proof of concept of the idea behind the whole LP, a cover of the Chameleons’ 1983 “Second Skin.” The original is great in a very characteristic way, both murky and confrontational with a great whacking beat and increasingly tormented vocals. The Aarktica take doesn’t try and beat the original at its own game; the beat is still central but, diffused a touch and surrounded by cello and DeRosa’s smoother baritone, the result feels more sweeping and darkly romantic. By taking on one of his inspirations directly and offering a fantastic, significantly tonally distinct version of it, DeRosa is showing both how this iteration of Aarktica is fully capable of standing with the works and artists it seeks to join, and that his own originals hold up well in their company. “Second Skin” is a classic, and it fits right in here.
