Szun Waves
Earth Patterns


4.2
excellent

Review

by Sunnyvale STAFF
August 24th, 2022 | 22 replies


Release Date: 2022 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Delightfully chill

Earth Patterns is an overwhelmingly calm and mellow listen. Even when the album gets a touch moody, an inherent feeling of lush sleepiness remains predominant. The record meanders in an enticing middle ground between strands of jazz, ambient, drone, and synth-driven electronic. All told, it’s a relatively trim work which sucks the listener in and doesn’t let go.

There’s a lot of stunning beauty to be found on this album. Szun Waves (a London-based trio) consists of a percussionist, a saxophonist, and a pianist/synth wrangler. Together, they have an organic sense of chemistry, managing time after time to engulf the listener into a dreamy music-crafted world. Opener “Exploding Upwards” sets the stage with its rather upbeat, if reserved, leading melody. “Garden”, meanwhile, feels slightly ominous while moving along in a ponderous fashion. “Willow Leaf Pear” excels with a melancholy yet soothing horn performance taking center stage. It all culminates with the wonderful closer “Atomkerne”, which proves both highly spaced-out and intensely here on Earth (the latter perhaps due to a recurring motif which recalls birdsong). It’s simultaneously one with the cosmos and the woods right next to your neighborhood.

Earth Patterns approaches “atmospheric masterpiece” status. It’s full of colorful and refreshing music which captures the essence of beautiful outdoor spaces in the summer or fall (with this sense perhaps encouraged by the gorgeous album artwork). The album is generally light and airy, full of space to allow the listener’s mind to wander. Don’t expect the most vigorous of records, but as a companion to reverie and contemplation, it doesn’t get much better than this.



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user ratings (22)
3.7
great


Comments:Add a Comment 
Sunnyvale
Staff Reviewer
August 24th 2022


5830 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

This album might just be finding me at the right time, but I've been quite blown away with this, will likely make my top 10 for the year.



I haven't any previous albums from this band, so can't speak for how this one compares.

Sunnyvale
Staff Reviewer
August 24th 2022


5830 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

LOL, got 'em!



Those tags are at least half the story, this approaches ambient and maybe even post-rock territory as well

Sunnyvale
Staff Reviewer
August 24th 2022


5830 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Thanks Sowing! This isn't your usual cup of tea but I could see you digging it.



@Johnny, haven't heard Tomaga but may need to check! I believe that is sax in "Willow Leaf Pear" but I was using the term horn in the jazz sense of "any wind instrument", so I think it's technically correct.

Sunnyvale
Staff Reviewer
August 24th 2022


5830 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I didn't use the term "magnum opus", so not sure this is true Sowingcore...

AffableMartyr
August 24th 2022


810 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

What a great opener

Voivod
Staff Reviewer
August 24th 2022


10698 Comments


Album stream:
http://szunwaves.bandcamp.com/album/earth-patterns

Great album art.

Tb1114
August 24th 2022


729 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Sounds up my alley. Will check out these guys out.

Pho3nix
August 24th 2022


1585 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

The cover art is enough to draw me in.



Thanks for the rev! :]

zakalwe
August 24th 2022


38787 Comments


Saw these live a few years ago and they were great.
Will give this a go soon as.

Sunnyvale
Staff Reviewer
August 24th 2022


5830 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Cheers Sowing, that's fair. Glad you enjoyed it, at least to some degree.

Pho3nix
August 25th 2022


1585 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Yeah this is a really cool record, veering on a 4.0 for me.



Could easily be the soundtrack of some obscure sci-fi movie ^^

DungeonBoy
August 25th 2022


9692 Comments


that album cover makes me really want to give this a listen. Enjoyed your concise review Sunny, didn't give away too much, but made a compelling case to give it a spin

Sunnyvale
Staff Reviewer
August 25th 2022


5830 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Thanks DungeonBoy! Yeah, the album cover is beautiful

DadKungFu
Staff Reviewer
August 25th 2022


4708 Comments


It's been a great year for album art at the very least

MiloRuggles
Staff Reviewer
August 26th 2022


3022 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I am floating on astral waves and my workout is quickly becoming a meditation session. Oh yiss

SpeachImpediment
August 26th 2022


128 Comments


How similar is this to Submotion Orchestra? I'm not familiar but it reads almost identically.

Sunnyvale
Staff Reviewer
August 26th 2022


5830 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I'll defer to others on this question, haven't heard Submotion Orchestra (although their debut looks awesome and I'll need to check). This style of music frankly isn't my general wheelhouse although I dabble in it.

insomniac15
Staff Reviewer
August 27th 2022


6169 Comments


This is nice.

Gyromania
August 27th 2022


37005 Comments


This is nothing whatsoever like submotion orchestra

It's okay. It's pleasant sounding enough, but I rarely get mileage out of stuff like this. Then again, I just got put on this new med called amitriptyline which might be affecting my enjoyment of music in general lol

Gyromania
August 27th 2022


37005 Comments


I was talking about this album. I love submotion orchestra (finest hour, at least)



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