abasio Posted January 19, 2007 Share Posted January 19, 2007 Carbon Based Lifeforms World of Sleepers Ultimae 2006 Tracklisting 12 Abiogenesis (6:37) 13 Vortex (5:55) 14 Photosynthesis (5:41) 15 Set Theory (6:41) 16 Gryning (6:19) 17 Transmission / Intermission (4:28) 18 World Of Sleepers (5:17) 19 Proton / Electron (6:44) 20 Erractic Patterns (6:55) 21 Flytta Dig (5:09) 22 Betula Pendula (10:40) A follow up to Carbon Based Lifeforms - Hydroponic Garden was very high on my list of albums I was looking forward to. Therefore it had the danger factor of too high expectations not being reached. I was confident though as this was released on Ultimae then the quality factor would be high. Ultimae haven't let me down yet with there beautiful music, beautiful art & great customer service. As you can see from the track numbers this is supposed to be a continuation from the first album. Although I loved the first album I think this one is even better. 12 Abiogenesis This starts with a soft ambient wail over very soft bells, managing to sound like water dripping. Around 2 minutes the melody powers. Wake up! The beat kicks in, the melody evolves & I messed my pants. Such the amazing atmosphere, I feel like I'm flying over the ocean at nightlistening to this. The way that the beat leaves & comes back with the melodies & a sublime female voice is just beautiful. 13 Vortex The intro once again is a comletely beatless drone for a while and then the melody comes in. A nice simple melody over cool trippy beats which slowly turn into a steady plod. This is a slow plodding track & it doesn't feel like flying anymore but floating out on the ocean now. It has a lower feel to it until the end where a melody comes in & lifts it up to the sky 14 Photosynthesis One of my favourite tracks on the album. Everything is right on this track. It starts of slow again with a soft floaty feeling to it. Slow synths are introduced. What about the forests? Nope! Beat kicks in & what a beat it is. It sounds like some kind of backwards trip. A pipe like melody floats around, they even manage to put in a guitar sound & still manage to make it sound good. The beats, the melody, the sounds, the atmosphere all fits to make it a really amazing track 15 Set Theory We slow down a bit with this track. Beatless for the opening 2 minutes & when the beat does start in I've managed to miss it. A nice beat actually it's quite fast but manages to sound slow. The atmosphere of this one is back on the ocean or a little bit above it moving without moving. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you? You know what I'm not sure I do 16 Gryning Much quicker to get into this track. It starts with the melody straight away but it's the second melody that is so beautiful. It really makes me feel like I'm falling through the night sky. A third melody not quite as beautiful as the 2nd but even more atmospheric really adds to the feeling of falling but this time it's cascading! The ocean is rushing up to meet me, I'm falling into it & I love it 17 Transmission / Intermission Some half heard conversation at the start. Soft ambient noises in the background. Sounds that remind me of rain. Not the sounds of rain but they feel wet & falling. No beat or melody in this, it is just a true ambient intermission. 18 World Of Sleepers Now on to the title track & it's another one that requires a spare pair of pants. Unbelievable!! Open your Mind it says but there is no need as this track opens it for you. The melody is so soft & beautiful, it feels like a dream it really does feel like you are dreaming this album. It is melancholic track, beautifully sad like you are dreaming of past loves, lost but never forgotten. A beautiful piece of musical art. 19 Proton / Electron Back to reality now after waking from that wet dream into something equally wet. Wet sounds in the background, wet & squelchy. Very up front shuffly beats & the melody seem to dry this track out and by the time the Atomic activity on the moon, atomic blasts on the earth sample comes in it feels like the clouds have parted & you can see the full moon. Soon after though & before the sample leaves we are back to a very wet feel. 20 Erractic Patterns This manages to sound like a fairytale (in my mind at least). A very old world feeling given to it mainly by the melody. The vocal, a woman talking about patterns tries to take the atmosphere somewhere different but the melody wont let it, it feels like hansel & grettel smoking dope behind a tree in the forest. 21 Flytta Dig Starts with an epic long soft synth, rushing windy sounds in the background make me feel like flying again very slowly over the ocean inland. A very nice melody chimes away halfway through adds to the atmosphere created by this beatless, floating track. 22 Betula Pendula 10 minutes and 40 seconds of joy, pure joy in a melancholic way if that makes any sense. I feel sadly jubilant listening to this track. It's like reliving former glory that has long passed into history. Beatless ambient but never boring. The soundscape created here fits the album perfectly. It makes your mind float away from your body maybe never to return. It's hard to concentrate on anything while listening to this as it's a track to get lost in. It takes you to places you've never been but which seem oddly familiar. Like remembering a dream. Hidden Track A few minutes of silence followed by a couple of minutes of quiet static noises & then an extra track kicks in. A nice track it is too. A nice melody & nice soft beats. It has a somewhat different atmosphere to the rest of the album. This track seems more summery or daytime at least. More earthy, less oceany less feeling of the night sky. With some natural sounds like birds in the background. A very nice track to tag on to the end of a very nice album All in all then this is one fantastic piece of audio art! All tracks are damn good & they go together really well to create a real album rather than a collection of tracks. All tracks have an outside feel, most feel like floating over the silent world at night. Flying, falling, watching, loving. All but the hidden track have a melancholic edge. Strangely melancholic, sad but joyous at the same time. As always with ultimae this is a high quality release in every respect. Beautiful music & a beautiful package. Great art & a booklet with more beautiful pictures. The digipack also smells like incense from the incense sticks they put in the envelope. Take my advice. Buy this album from Ultimae Favourites 12, 14, 15!, 16!, 18!, 19, 20, 21, 22! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chis Posted January 19, 2007 Share Posted January 19, 2007 You're late with this one! I don't think it quite matches Hydrophonic Garden, but it's more of the same - definitely not a bad thing. If you liked their last album, do NOT hesitate to pick this one up. Check out Solar Fields last two LPs as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
advance Posted January 19, 2007 Share Posted January 19, 2007 This is a strange release... like Solar Fields, I can listen to it, enjoy it, and when its done - not notice that I've even listened to anything. Absolutely ambient... goes great with my naps The thing is, since I can't concentrate music I can't review it. Can't say I even notice when tracks change! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dajek Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 fuck, this is my most listened album in late 2006/early 2007 and it keeps getting better each time. WHAT ABOUT THE FORESTS? it's a journey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranger Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 WHAT ABOUT THE FORESTS? Nope! I heard about CBL some months ago (mainly thanks to abasio ) and immediatly fell in love with Hydroponic Garden. Exactly the same happened with World Of Sleepers, almost every track is flawless and pure bliss. 5/5! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drosophila Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 Im loving this.... still not sure if its as good as Hydroponic Garden, but that I can only say in a year or two, but who cares its a great album and the CBL guys can be mighty proud of what they have done here! The sounds used are very atmospheric and "grand" I'm tempted to call it, yeah its got this "grandness" to its soundscapes, with its slow "acid line melodies" (I lack better words), floating vocals, crunchy-ness and beautiful composition. Next time Im going flying this will be in mp3-player when I will be taking of.... fits perfect for flying in between soft clouds! The only thing is that the "hidden" track should'nt be hidden since its just a track like the rest here... imo. No reason to make it hidden. Its just annoying u cant go directly to the track and then there r valuable space used on the cd just for emptyness not good! But thats a minor thing and has nothing to with actual music! For any ultimae fan this is a MUSTie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
advance Posted February 1, 2007 Share Posted February 1, 2007 Hidden track is quite brilliant, but completely out of the feel of the album. It could have easily been on an older Jaia album... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pedro Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Very nice album. This is proof that in the midst of much mediocrity in ambient psy trance there are a few people who can put out an album which is consistently good. It can be a bit samey as you listen through all the tracks, but overall I would give this album a strong recommendation. Pedro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTP Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Nice review (I was too lazy to write one for myself, I decided to wait until one is posted and then just give some short comments - which is what I'm doing here ). I can say without hesitation that this is the best ambient album of 2006 for me. I absolutely love Carbon Based Lifeforms! However, it's not as mindblowing as Hydroponic Garden was (I actually think there's nothing that can come up to that anyway) ... but it at least deserves being called a good successor. The sound is more clean on this one and it appears it's also made for a rather broader audiance than the first one. The first track is one of the absolute very best on the album for me, closely followed by Erratic Patterns. Those two are INCREDIBLE. I also reaaally, really like Proton/Electron, it has such an oldskool wet/acid CBL feel to it Also Vortex and Set Theory are very very nice, as well as the title track and Gryning. Gryning is very good in particular because of its warm ambience that it has. Bad tracks there are actually none on this one at all ... however, I must say I don't really get Photosynthesis (what's this "what about the forests?"-stuff? I don't get what's sooo good on this one ) and Flytta Dig (this one I like the least). But the rest is all cool. Also the bonus ... it's a bit strange, but it's good and I find it's a cool move of the Carbon boys I also like the booklet. Beautiful pictures as always. I think every ambient/chill album should have a booklet with a pic for each track... All in all GO BUY IT! What are ya waiting for? Oh and btw, abasio ... who has photographed that cover pic you posted? On mine cover you can hardly see the triangle and the stuff on the left... And btw, about the cover I find it annoying that it's so glossy. One touch with a finger and you got a fingertip on it that you can only get off by cleaning ... hate that ... some earlier Ultimae had a better cover surface that was not glossy, I liked that one a lot better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkeletonMan Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Oh and btw, abasio ... who has photographed that cover pic you posted? On mine cover you can hardly see the triangle and the stuff on the left... And btw, about the cover I find it annoying that it's so glossy. One touch with a finger and you got a fingertip on it that you can only get off by cleaning ... hate that ... some earlier Ultimae had a better cover surface that was not glossy, I liked that one a lot better! You DON'T wear gloves when handling Ultimae albums ... Other than that not much else to add from here for now. Another Ultimae hit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alleycat Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 10/10 One of those releases that, when listening, you lose track of time! I kept looking at the cd player, trk 3 2:21 then it seemed only 3 minutes later it was trk 7 3:12 or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trolsk Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 A solid follow up to their excellent debut. The sound quality is even better, the production is great and the flow is excellent. You will not be disappointed. 4+/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forest Dreams Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 excellent album.. great start with 'abiogenesis'.. very nice journey through the silence in my sleep, though not as good as hydroponic garden.. ultimae still rocks for this great release! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTP Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 You DON'T wear gloves when handling Ultimae albums ... Not yet ... but I have been thinking about getting some extra for that glossy CBL album cover... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Getafix Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Absolutely brilliant album! CBL did not disappoint at all, i just love their music its so dreamy & floaty, perfect for falling asleep to! 10/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nurbs Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 really good album Photosynthesis and Abiogenesis my personal fav. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormion Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 My God the hidden track is unbelievable!!! One of the best ambient tracks ever listen!!! Of course the whole album is awesome but the hidden track!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pandemonium Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 WHAT ABOUT THE FORESTS?........NOPE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w_lizzard Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 abasio, excellent review you sweet girl! Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reger Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 really good album Photosynthesis and Abiogenesis my personal fav.+1 abasio, excellent review you sweet girl! Thank you. abasio is dude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abasio Posted March 23, 2007 Author Share Posted March 23, 2007 +1 abasio is dude Hahaha! That is right Still loving this album despite soooooooooo many listens. Hasn't gotten old or boring. Favourites at this time are Photosynthesis & World of Sleepers. But hell, they're all good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sawfly Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Amazing album! I knew they couldn't make a bad album when they gave us Hydroponic Garden, but jeez, this is fucking brilliant! This won't get boring before years of listening if even then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapinho Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 It's amazing that they put an album that is - for me - already on a par with Hydroponic Garden. The continuation of the tracks makes sense to me... _almost_ perfect album that doesn't get boring at all. And yes, ladies and gentlemen, 'Photosynthesis' is World of Sleepers' own 'MOS 6581'. Also track #3, also that special, mysterious feeling throughout the track. Trippy. And yes, What about the forests? Nope!. Its almost a cliche to say it, haha! But man, this is one outstanding piece of work. Love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yerg Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Thankyou Abasio for this review I wouldn't know about it anyway, i'm not a big fan of chill albums) - but this one is BREATHTAKING The atmospheres the beats the words - everything everything is soooooooooooo nice Thankyou once more/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abasio Posted April 26, 2007 Author Share Posted April 26, 2007 Thankyou Abasio for this review I wouldn't know about it anyway, i'm not a big fan of chill albums) - but this one is BREATHTAKING The atmospheres the beats the words - everything everything is soooooooooooo nice Thankyou once more/ Cheers yerg! Like a lot (all maybe) ultimae releases this seems to get better and better with each listen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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