The multi-instrumentalist Eric Angelo Bessel’s debut album, Visitation, impressed me with eight tracks of powerful and detailed instrumentals, and this second record on his own follows a similar path, where post-rock and psychedelic ideas are present and appreciated.
Just like his previous album, Bessel wrote, recorded, mixed and produced the record and also put it out on his own label, making it a DIY effort from beginning to end.
The cinematic and mysterious “Tendons” gets the 12 songs started off with plenty of ambience. “Snow Globe” then comes with an ominous quality, where waves of rich synth emit much wonder, while “Scavengers” recruits well timed mellotron and plenty of color.
Moving into the middle, “Non-diegetic Sound” is full of warmth via the soothing delivery of ethereal songwriting that you could meditate to, and “Moving Walkway” finishes Side A with a unique droning of beauty that unfolds with nearly sci-fi qualities.
Side B opens with the shortest song, where the brighter tone of “Hesitation” mesmerizes us in under two minutes, but it’s the melodic aspect to the shimmering “Headlamps” that alone is worth the price of admission. “Coming Around” then nearly finds itself in spiritual territory courtesy of the engaging and introspective Alesis synth.
Deeper into the back half, “Clearing” comes with a hypnotic atmosphere of sound manipulation, and “Aphotic Zone” exits with a unique texturing and exercise in meticulous and swirling dynamics.
Bessel already made quite an impression during his time in Lore City with Laura Mariposa Williams, and he continues their path with electronic, experimental, gothic and avant-garde exploration that’s ghostly, enthralling and memorable. It’s an artistic adventure, where tonality becomes the paint, and the retro stabs and fastidious attention to every detail won’t go unnoticed.