Review Summary: An album filled with what you may expect to hear in a hotel elevator, but it's refreshingly beautiful and a solid instrumental release.
It’s not often that we see (or hear) ambient music marketed or intended to be anything more than eargasmic sleepy/trippy audio that requires a certain kind of person to appreciate it – and with Compose Sovereign’s debut self-titled release, there’s nothing truly original about the ten instrumental tracks that may very well get boring easily or require those late night drives to actually warrant enjoying and respecting the music for what it is – but this is a solid and peaceful release.
The album clocks in at just under 30 minutes and is comprised of small ensembles, piano work, synthesizers and organs with a little bit of guitar thrown in.
Whilst perhaps produced for the audiophile (of which I am not) you’ll first notice that the entire album is incredibly quiet at some points and a little louder at others. If Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” was anything to go by, this is the complete opposite. If you’re listening to this album on a low-powered device then I’d recommend adjusting the gain and hopefully we’ll see the band or label release a version with a bit more ‘kick’ in the mastering.
The album, which as of this review, has only been released on Bandcamp is a pretty splendid and welcoming change from what we are used to but it can be a little boring at times for those who it is conceivably aimed at; Think Devin Townsend’s “Ghost”.
All in all it’s a great effort that combines some beautiful elements and massages the ears when listened to using earbuds. The album’s highlight “Letter to Rain” is a clear example of the delayed and ping-pong pleasure that soothes the heart and earlobes. “The 2am Wake” follows the trend and really picks the album up, but you can’t help but feel like if the whole record was full of songs like these it’d make for a fantastic release.
Whether or not this band of keyboard/guitar wielders are going to be seen as anything more than lobby soundtrack or elevator musicians remains to be seen. If you’re into Syd Barret-era Pink Floyd or Alan Parsons then you’re bound to be able to enjoy this and at $4 on Bandcamp (as of current anyway) then you can’t really go wrong.
