Review Summary: A satisfying balance of the shoegaze and genre-bending from Everything and Nothing with the more strings-based ambient music of Oblivion Hymns and Mysterium.
Hammock almost make their brand of neoclassical and ambient shoegazing appear effortless to create. They become more prolific by the year, as their trilogy of albums recently ended with
Silencia in 2019.
Universalis is the middle album in the trio, being more mellow and reserved overall. While predecessor
Mysterium was a solid effort, it veered too often into melodrama and sounded too similar to
Oblivion Hymns at times. These qualities are toned down here, allowing for an understated result that comes across more earned and authentic. Everything feels lighter, with opener “Mouth to Dust… Waiting” rooted in subtle atmospherics and slow swells of stringed instruments. “Scattering Light” follows and contains a gorgeous bridge of a shimmery guitar melody and wandering violin melodies. “Tether of Yearning” similarly follows wistful synths, gentle guitars, and violin swells creating a gorgeous atmoshphere. Hammock don’t reinvent the wheel or pull out any big surprises with any of these recent releases, but continue releasing emotionally affecting ambient, post-rock, and shoegazing music.
Universalis channels their strengths of this past decade, mainly by emphasizing the more melodic side of
Everything and Nothing and its presence of guitars. “Cliffside” is an album highlight, essentially a solo guitar track slowly joined by more instruments in the second half for a resounding climax. The album mainly stays laid back though, as Hammock are content to pursue a more ambient direction in recent years. Despite being understated and subtle, Hammock’s music continues to be moving and among the most consistent musical projects of the decade.
