INVISIBLE

2015 saw an early gift in the form of a new Steve Roach album `Invisible', released on January 1st. With the momentum of the previous year still maintaining for the ambient artist, he spent the last few cold and rainy days of 2014 creating a new long-form piece, and as expected, it's a consistent and immersive experience, from an artist known for thoughtful and subtle unwinding compositions. While a drone piece at heart, it also includes little restrained elements of tribal music, plenty of dark ambient movements and some very unexpected (yet welcome!) deep bass grooves lurking in a few spots as well.

Comprised on one single track running just over 58 minutes, `Invisible' is quite a dark and brooding work. Gloomy synths groan away like an approaching building storm, little electronic glistenings trying to pierce through. They throb and reverberate with life and movement, as a pattering of low-key tribal beats gently rise up from the earth, and soothing electronic wisps slowly extend fingertips out to glide between a metallic sheen mixed with earthly barren desert. Machine-like oscillations grow in power over desolate winds, hallucinatory shimmerings dance before our eyes, bending distorted guitar ruminations twist and spiral over emerging deep bass liquid percussive loops that pour all around. Bubbling grooves fall like rain over the land, and waking signs of new life snake across the surface, carried forth by uplifting and hopeful synth strains weaving a final protective spell.

Available exclusively as a free Bandcamp download at this point, Mr Roach also promises a long list of new releases to follow this one throughout 2015, some brand new, others that have been in production for some years. `Invisible' is not the easiest of ambient releases to appreciate, and those not used to (or not fans of) subtle drone-type music should approach this one with caution. It may not do a lot that the artist hasn't offered before, and some early stretches of the piece are a little uneventful, but for listeners who appreciate this particular sub-genre of electronic/ambient music, that have the patience to listen quietly, this is a very worthwhile release, and incredibly good value considering it's current price.

Three stars. This captivating, initially confronting piece is ideal late night contemplative listening.