Review Summary: Letting the synthesizers drone...
Ten years ago, Carbon Based Lifeforms released
TwentyThree, an LP that stripped away the downtempo/psybient grooves that gave earlier efforts such lush flavors. Venturing into pure ambient and drone territory was a natural decision for the band, although not one that a good part of their fan base desired. Now, the Swedish duo returned to these experiments, albeit in a more freeform fashion. Having found some old synthesizers, they decided to explore the random functionalities on them. This way, the generated patterns were listened to by the band as background music while working. Pleased with the results, they ultimately decided to share this material, entitled
Stochastic.
As expected, the musical approach is minimalistic, relying heavily on the atmosphere the full length creates as a whole. A couple of tracks offer a warmer tone, such as opener ‘6equj5’ or ‘Sphere Eversion’, yet most of them evoke a glacial vibe, as if composed as soundtrack to a space exploration or post-apocalyptic Earth documentary. Meanwhile, ‘Probability Approaches Infinity’, ‘Finite State Space’ & ‘Mycorrhizal Network’ take baby steps towards a darker sound, closer to Cryo Chamber artists’ styles. The remaining tracks all sit somewhere between these two sides of the spectrum. They make for a pleasant listen, especially when using headphones, since you can easily immerse yourself in the
Stochastic universe. Although less eventful than usual, Carbon Based Lifeforms managed to create a beautiful, cohesive ambient experience for those who are willing to let themselves get carried away by the droning qualities of these songs.
