[SPNet112]
Pioggia d’ambra
“Musick for ghosts”
Italy’s Pioggia d’ambra is back with another collection of self-described Depressive Ambient entitled Musick for ghosts. Recorded some time ago, but never released until now, this hour-long album was inspired by a lost love and its seven tracks, in the words of the artist, “range from freakish lo-fi folk to depressive drones and noise assault.” Despite the wide swings in style, the feeling of loss is pervasive throughout Musick for ghosts. Much like a ghost itself, melodies hover vaguely in the air, more of a suggestion than a framework upon which the songs are built. Occasionally there are vocals, seemingly moaned and whispered at no one in particular, and guitar pops up here and there, sometimes clean, but more often heavily processed through several effects until it sounds like mechanical wailing. When it comes to weird production techniques, Pioggia d’ambra pulls out all the stops: reversing phrases in post-production, overdubbing atmospheric drones, and filling the album with small expressions and eccentric details that keep the most droning parts of this collection as dynamic and engaging as the busier material. Above all else, and this project has a lot going for it, this attention to detail places Pioggia d’ambra a cut above much of the netlabel dark ambient jet set, and makes Musick for ghosts a haunting and inspiring experience.