Winter is my favorite season. Even though this album is very minimalist (which is an understatement), it does give me the feeling of the season in different places around the world. Lawrence English recorded this album in Japan, Hong Kong, Europe, and Australia. Having visited those places, not all during the winter, there is a distinct feeling that each location evokes throughout different seasons.
The first track, "End Game," is aurally soothing, with some bell sounds reverberating throughout the piece. As it ended and left me feeling calm, my hearing was assaulted in a way by the beginning of the next track, "Fleck." It has this high-pitched, almost ultrasonic piercing note, reminiscent of the highest tone played during a hearing test. After ten seconds of this track, I started to get a headache, I was grinding my jaw against the pain, and I tried skipping through the track to where the sound would end. It didn't. Oh, and it also had my dog whimpering and hiding under the bed. English restored my faith in the album with the remaining tracks.
While I'm not a huge fan of electronic minimal sounds, I enjoyed my time listening to this album. No vocals, purely electronica. For the purists out there, this one's for you.
