Polar Ambient

A contradictory album in some ways, as noted above: it is both airy and oppressive. Light wafts of uplifting chords swell magnificently to greet us, but lurking just beneath the surface are those hints of something darker at work. And that artful repetition: it becomes a burden after it’s been carried for a while, and only becomes heavier. Furthermore, in reality these four pieces never really begin or end – they’ve always been in existence, waiting for the receptive to catch their mournful refrains. And that cover image by British painter, illustrator, and author Walford Graham Robertson (1866 – 1948) – nothing could encapsulate the hidden occult power of ancient woodland better than this starkly monochrome illustration.

Polar Ambient

It is only after realizing that the melodies construct an hour long ambient soundscape that you realize that this wintery wonderland has no exit and you are slowly freezing to death. Both mournful and dreamy, Waldeinsamkeit is a triumph in the sub genre of cold yet magical music for dying alone in an icy dream.