Oren Ambarchi, "In the Pendulum's Embrace"

Presented as a follow up to 2004's Grapes from the Estate, this album continues Ambarchi's exploration of crystal clear ambience.  Sharing the same mix of patient tempos and penetrating subsonics, these songs could fit unnoticed right beside their predecessors. The difference emerges in the details, and the increased use of untreated guitar, strings, and voice makes for a understated yet compelling departure.

 

Southern Lord

For a while, I had trouble placing Ambarchi in Southern Lord's aesthetic. Despite his notable contributions as a Sunn O)) and Grave Temple Trio member, his solo material seemed removed from the label's doom and sludge metal mainstays. The one notable connection being the obsessive use of sub-bass. The booms and cracks of Ambarchi's mangled guitar mimic the detuned riffing of doom metal, but with the distortion scrubbed completely off, leaving only a chest rattling thud. Before, these heavier elements were balanced out with chiming tones and jazzy drum fills. The mood of In the Pendulum's Embrace is darker and the rhythms plodding, more of kind to Ambarchi's collaborative work for the label.

The label-centric similarities don't end with Ambarchi's amp-worship. The spacious twang of "Fever, A Warm Poison" is reminiscent of Dylan Carson's recent clean, countrified sound. Because of his unique arrangements, Ambarchi avoids the dreary repetition Earth can get mired in. Piano, bells, and processed harmonics merge together sounding like a continuum of the same tone rather than separate instruments. These jagged but tightly interlocked elements provide a solid base for the Ambarchi's electric guitar to meander over.

Ambarchi shines most on his more subtle compositions. On "Inamorata" a string section gradually swells in, vibrating the song into a tremulous boil. But instead of reaching the expected crescendo, the strings vanish, like a departing gust of cold air. "Trailing Moss in Mystic Glow" gently ends the album with acoustic finger picking and the surprising addition of vocals. Ambarchi sings wordlessly, confining himself to soft moaning. That brief touch of humanity softens the dour mood of album, ending it with a delicate and plaintive fade out.

When first listening to the album, I was worried that Ambarchi would simply repeat Grapes from the Estate and settle into a single style of playing. That's not the case. Instead, Ambarchi borrows the best from what is around him, enriching his already diverse body of work.

samples:

• Feaver, A Warm Poison
• Inamorata
• Trailing Moss in Mystic Glow