Admirable Transcendence.
This is the posthumous release of Pauline Anna Strom, who's known for her new age works for the past decades.
This is my entry point towards her work, but as much as I do admire this album for the textures that give it some transcendent punch, I had a hard time grasping the somewhat omnipotent, rather uninviting tones that the synths have, and it doesn't help that they can peak in the mix at spots. While some tracks do work for me with these tones, from the staccato synths of 'Marking Time' to the angelic swells of 'The Eighteen Beautiful Memories'. Some tracks like 'Temple Gardens at Midnight' with the volume peaking into the mix, as well as some integration towards out-of-sync beats of 'The Pulsation' that just does not really work for me.
But when it goes a bit more lowkey, more subtle like the pristine twinkling amidst the swift percussions of 'Equatorial Sunrise' and that frolicking wooden blocks of 'Small Reptiles on the Forest Floor' it does elevate the angelic tones that the album is aiming for without that flaw in the mixing and the harsh synth tones.
Overall, it's an album that I do greatly respect, and despite some flaws I have with this one, it does serve what it tries to do. Rest In Power to her.
Favorite Tracks: Marking Time, Equatorial Sunrise, Small Reptiles on the Forest Floor, The Eighteen Beautiful Memories
Least Favorite Track: The Pulsation