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AUN

Phantom Ghost

Written by: DR on 09/02/2012 21:45:09

Denovali Records attract artists who do things a little differently. Such is their desire to find these experimental artists, they never seem to settle for those who would dare settle on their art. As a result, you'd be hard pushed to find a release of theirs that could be considered generic, lifeless, or even un-interesting. AUN, a duo from Canada, look to add another release full of bold artistic statement to Denovali's belt.

AUN blur the lines between ambient, electronic, psychadelic and indie-esque noise. At first listen, it's a very minimalistic release. However, after many listens it's apparent that "Phantom Ghost" has a maturity about it, one of a band who clearly know what they are doing. AUN are obviously experienced and established within their field, and because of this, "Phantom Ghost" is nothing short remarkably assured in the way it is composed.

Throughout its deliberately ethereal run, "Phantom Ghost" gradually pulls the listener in to a dream-like world, and, while it has a hypnotic hold over you, it subtly shifts the mood via ambient effects whilst maintaining its smooth flow. AUN show their experience by avoiding potential heavy-handness with their choice of choral vocals imbued in opener "Phantom" by not playing on them too much. They're apparent, sure, but they serve only to welcome in the effects that grow deeper into dark sounds, as opposed to artificially forcing the track to make it seem grander.

From then on you're engulfed. What makes "Phantom Ghost" suceed is the meticulous construction, the careful attention to detail that rewards the listener after multiple listens. The textures of ambiance and electronics, shadowing each other and developing the responsive of their movements clearly took a lot of time and patience to complete. Efforts like the wonderful "Travellers" and the exhilaratingly spaced out "Out of Mind" are instantly accessible, while efforts such as "Ghost" and "Light Years" make their long run-times ultimately more than just 'worth it'. As for the album overall, well, it's just a wonderfully executed example of how to melt the boundaries between genres and sub-genres of electronic and ambient music.

Download: Travellers, Out of Mind
For The Fans of: Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, Radiohead's "Kid A"
Listen: Denovali page

Release Date 28.10.2011
Denovali Records