Review Summary: The Hammock orchestral ambient series…
Hammock’s latest release completes a trilogy that features some of their most vulnerable material yet. As one of the members’ nephew passed away at only 20 years old, all the resulting pain and grief led to the creation of
Mysterium. The overall sound was influenced by minimalist ambient and neoclassicism, leaving behind for the most part the post rock aesthetics of previous LPs.
Universalis followed up last year, at times expanding again the sound, while also detailing the orchestral elements. Now,
Silencia puts an end to this melancholic journey, returning to the initial layer stripping, albeit in a slightly tighter form. Admittedly, it is the duo’s sonic equivalent of accepting one’s fate and ultimately, moving on.
Probably closest musically to
The Sleepover Series,
Maybe They Will Sing for Us Tomorrow and
Mysterium,
Silencia presents us some of the most subdued compositions Hammock penned so far. Ambient pads that stem from heavily processed guitar notes and synthesizers become the foundation of the album, whereas gorgeous string and horn sections gently embellish when needed. The mood switches and volume changes are crucial to the atmosphere the band desired, especially during the middle stretch consisting of mournful highlights such as ‘Afraid to Forget’, ‘In the Shattering of Things’ & ‘Saudade’. The sparse piano lines of ‘We Try to Make Sense of it All’ are complemented by weeping violins that give way to the glacial ‘Slowly You Dissolve’. The synth pads create a somewhat darker piece which leads to more positive, pristine moments towards the end of the record. It’s feels like this is the point where they’ve managed to get rid of all grief and carried on with their life.
Overall, despite the familiar sound,
Silencia is quite a demanding listen. The ambient (bordering drone) nature of the LP and lack of more upbeat tunes will keep some listeners at bay. On the other hand, we receive a lovely and very relaxing collection of songs that have been carefully recorded and produced by the band and an entire orchestra. This is more than just background music, as listening attentively to the LP will allow you to discover its subtleties as well.
