Ecstatic Computation

I've been reviewing a lot of metal recently, and I was feeling a pull to go back to ambient music for a little while and find some good stuff in that sphere. Almost immediately, I was fortunate enough to find something that I really liked.

Ecstatic Computation is a beautiful album with dancing, efflorescent synth. Precise syncopations and restless arpeggios give the album a wonderful sense of drive. A lot of ambient music feels sleepy, so it's great to hear an album that celebrates the joy of purpose, the pleasure of being focused. This is what it feels like to be wide awake and coruscating with thought.

A lot of "mathy" music feels cold, and I think that's a fair criticism of some of the tracks. The first half of "Bow of Perception" is so austere that I don't see how anyone can enjoy it. The choral harmonies on "Arrows of Time" remind me so strongly of Tim Hecker and Love Streams that I would refuse to believe that it wasn't inspired by his work. Unlike Love Streams, however, which alternates masterfully between tension and release, there is little tension or release here, just atmosphere, which doesn't sustain my interest.

That having been said...the good tracks are really good. Tracks 1-3 and Track 5 are superb. Track 2 ("Spine of Desire") is perhaps the most interesting to me: just 90 seconds of complex rhythm. Try marking the beats on this track: it's really hard! But despite this, the track has a melody that is memorable and captivating. Track 5 is the friendliest track and reminds me of some of Steve Hauschildt's best work.

Also, it wouldn't be an ambient album if it didn't come with an absurd description on Bandcamp: "Computation is turned from being a formal, automatic writing technique into a creative, psychedelic practice to generate temporal hallucinations." I hope that Caterina is as embarrassed by this as I am.

Definitely worth a listen!