Lab's Cloud - The Structure of Emotions

[Rotwang]

Lab's Cloud - The Structure of Emotions
Ensancha el Alma Records

Quote

Lab's Cloud presents his first album of pure ambient, different from his previous works, more introspective and personal. Ethereal passages, deep atmospheres, subtle melodies, a composition that delves into the emotional, seeking to find that universal pattern that defines emotions. This album proposes a journey to the inner self, to that sensitive self that lives latent in each one of us.

I checked out a few of this artist's other albums and they sit on the border between chillout and progressive psy (think Altar Records) - probably great if you're into that kind of thing but not for me. The Structure of Emotions, on the other hand, is possibly the best Ultimae album to have ever not been released by Ultimae.

The opening three tracks are moody but hauntingly beautiful, before the album abruptly changes gears with the joyous (and still hauntingly beautiful) Beyond a Secret.

The remaining tracks are less attention-grabbing and unique (for example Transparent Beings wouldn't sound out of place on a Carbon Based Lifeforms album and Reflections could pass for Substrata-era Biosphere) but with enough depth to reward repeat listens; special mention goes to Walking with Joel, which is based around a very simplistic sequence of two repeating chords but layered with field recordings which paint a heartwarming picture of the titular walk (I'm assuming Joel is the artist's son).

The download version ends with a mixed version of the preceding 9 tracks, except it also includes an extra one between the six and seventh; I don't know why this wasn't included on the CD version, there's enough room for it and it's actually one of the highlights.

Overall, I highly recommend this album and I really hope that Lab's Cloud makes more in this style in the future. Favourite tracks: 2, 3, 4, Ϫ

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