New Directions In Meditation Tonalities is a collaboration between Jogen Salzberg, a Buddhist teacher, a counselor, a soundscape deejay, a drummer and also formerly lived as a monk for 15 years, and the ambient New Age artist, designer and record label head honcho Steve Rosborough. As Zen Monk Jogen and Omni Gardens they offer us a pair of lengthy tracks in the area of meditative, experimental and spoken word ideas.

“Ocean Resonance” occupies the first half of the listen, and it won’t take long for Zen Monk Jogen’s mesmerizing voice to cultivate plenty of inner peace. The music is dreamy, repetitive and flows with plenty of New Age sensibilities that suit the subject matter about gravity, breathing, vibration and release.

The second half belongs to “Lifestyle Slow Motion,” which welcomes a cleansing, absorbing delivery that’s full of eloquent spoken word that might have you listening for your own heartbeat, imagining the expansive beauty of the ocean and in general allowing yourself to be entranced by the hazy, soft waves of electronic radiance.

This is an extremely enlightening listen that pairs Rosborough’s music and field recordings with Salzberg’s very deliberate enunciation and elicits the most amount of serenity out of each second. Even if you spend most of your time listening to Napalm Death or Minor Threat, you’re still likely to become fully invested in these two 20-plus-minute compositions.

Available on cassette or Bandcamp and limited to just 300 copies, the album’s packaging comes with detailed liner notes to accompany the experience that’s built on a love for retro New Age, avant-garde jazz and ambient sounds. This album could soundtrack a focused yoga session, perhaps some do-it-yourself therapy, or just when you want to really, truly relax and connect with your entire soul and being.

Rating: B+

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