My Top 10: April, 2012

This list will count down, in ascending order, my top 10 favorite ambient albums from any source, be it professional or independent.  Keep in mind that there are plenty of albums that I have not listened to yet, and as the years go by, I will undoubtedly collect more, so this list is by no means a permanent one.  It simply represents my favorites of the ones that I do have.

Honorable Mentions

SineRider: Ambivert (2011)

A somewhat short, but incredibly sincere collection of pure ambient songs from an independent source.  This album is perfect background music for work and other time-consuming activities.  Ambivert can be downloaded for free here:  http://www.bfwrecordings.com/releases/SineRider/Ambivert/

Janne Hanhisuanto: Icescapes (2010)

Serene, chilly, and enchanting.  This 44 minute masterwork is composed of eight songs that more or less wrap perfectly together.  This album is especially effective when looped at night when the listener is in bed.  Icescapes can be downloaded for free here: http://earthmantra.com/release-detail.php?id=131

Harold Budd and Brian Eno: The Pearl (1984)

A very light-hearted and aquatic journey.  Every song in this collection of ear candy is valuable in its own right.  It is very effective at soothing the listener.

Kit Watkins: Music For The End (2001)

A single, long-form song which will embrace you gently for its entire duration.  Perfect for the stargazer.  Music For The End can be downloaded for free here: http://earthmantra.com/release-detail.php?id=62

Rudy Adrian: Desert Realms (2008)

This particular album is an effective entourage of the deserts of the American West.  It captures the natural splendor of the wide and open drylands excellently, as well as the tribal underpinnings of the land.

Steve Roach: Immersion: Four (2009)

A one-track album, 73 minutes in length.  At first it may seem boring, especially considering the fact that the song appears to hold the same sounds in perpetuity.  However, this immersion has incredible effects on the mind, and will leave you adrift in a very calm universe.  Perfect for sleeping.

#10 

Brian Eno: Ambient 4: On Land (1982)

The last album of the Ambient series will take you on a surreal journey through various landscapes at night.  Though dark and foreboding, at no point will the listener really be frightened.  In fact, they may even find the darkness to be somewhat comforting.

#9

Bing Satellites: Twilight Sessions Volume 5 (2011)

My personal favorite of the Bing Satellites entourage.  Each of the four songs, all of which are about an hour in length, are profound experiences, and can take the listener's imagination to great heights.  As each song goes on, they change in subtle fashion, deforming old melodies and forming new ones in the process.  Definitely worth giving a test run while doing some work at the computer.  Twilight Sessions Volume 5 can be downloaded for free here: http://www.bfwrecordings.com/releases/BingSatellites/TwilightSessionsVol5/

 #8

 Kit Watkins: This Time and Space (2004)

The single greatest ambient album I have come across that was available for free.  This Time and Space is an incredible display of Kit Watkins' talent, as each song will make flowers bloom in the back of your mind.  This is an album that starts off well, and only ascends in quality from there on up to the end.  This Time and Space can be downloaded for free here: http://earthmantra.com/release-detail.php?id=49

#7

Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Volume 2 (1994)

The first ambient album I ever ordered, back in 2008, still holds up well to this day.  Every song in this two-disk album is very minimalistic, and yet very meaningful.  Some of them are somber and beautiful, while others delve into much darker areas.  Each one is like an individual state of feeling.

#6

Brian Eno: Apollo Atmospheres & Soundtracks (1983)

One of my old-time favorites.  Eno conjures a very strange, yet enthralling selection of songs here.  The listener starts off in a dark and somewhat frightening place.  Then, they will literally feel dawn approaching as the music becomes lighter in tone.  Eventually the album cycles through the brightest hours of the day and returns to night by the end.  This is definitely an experience that you won't want to miss.

#5

Steve Roach:  Dreamtime Return (1988)

 

Often considered as Steve Roach's masterwork, this album takes the listener on a journey through the world of the Australian Aborigine.  Very tribal in nature, and stunning in scope, Dreamtime Return will leave the listener wanting more, even after the extensive two-disk runtime.

#4

Laraaji: Ambient 3: Day of Radiance (1980)

The third album in Brian Eno's Ambient series was actually composed by another musician, who went by Laraaji.  Despite this, the album is still excellent in every way.  Even though one instrument being used throughout the whole session, Laraaji managed to pull off a very distinct variety of moods throughout.

#3

Steve Roach:  Quiet Music: The Original 3-Hour Collection (2011)

Originally released as three separate volumes in the time between 1983 and 1986, these albums were organized into a single collection last year, and that's when I got the chance to listen to all of them as Roach had intended.  The Quiet Music trilogy is one of the greatest works of ambient music, and a cornerstone alongside Eno's Ambient series as the standard of the genre back in the eighties.

The first disk is more or less a walk through a thick and green forest, and is a fitting opening.

The second disk is the heart of the collection, with very large-scale and open songs that will make the listener feel like they are soaring.

The last disk is the calming one, and brings the listener back down to earth after the elevation experienced in disk two.

I personally think that there is no excuse for any fan of ambient music to not have this (and the next two on my list) in their collections.

#2

Brian Eno:  Ambient 1: Music for Airports (1978)

You knew this would be on the list somewhere.  In fact, I'm betting most of you thought it would be #1.  Ambient 1: Music for Airports is the album that officially launched the entire genre.  In fact, slipped in the case of the album is the note from Eno that formally defines ambient music.  Precisely 48 minutes in length, this album consists of four songs that are simply named by their number, as it was on record/cassette.

The first, 1/1, is the opener, and the song most well known.  It is little more than a simple tune played on a piano, accompanied by some background chimes.  It does a marvelous job at getting the listener in the proper mood, should they even be paying attention.

The second, 2/1, is nothing more than a choir, singing just in 'a' vowels, and with no real intended melody.  As simple as it is, the song is incredibly powerful.

The third, 1/2, is the same choir, but this time with piano accompaniment, again with no intended melody.  It is a good continuation of the last song.

The last, 2/2, is a conglomeration of synthetic tones that excellently closes out the album.

It is difficult to explain in words why this album is so legendary, so I'd suggest going out and finding the time to listen to it.  It certainly won't hurt.

#1

Steve Roach: Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces (2003)

I've mentioned it once before, but I must go into more detail about this particular release.  I obtained Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces back in February, 2010, and my music life has never been the same since.  Consisting of four distinct, but intertwined parts, this is, in my opinion, Steve Roach's greatest musical accomplishment, and the greatest ambient album that I know of.

The first disk, titled 'Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces' is the opener.  It consists of five unique, but closely interconnected songs that average 13 minutes in length.  It is the symbol of the outer splendor of the collection, as it has the most complexity of the four parts.

The second disk, titled 'Labyrinth' represents the cavernous interior of the collection.  Very dark, foreboding, and confusing, this part will leave the listener's mind disoriented.

The third disk, titled 'Recent Future' is the inner sanctum of the collection.  There are many songs here, some short, some longer, that focus on basic harmonics and emotions, and then build up to a fever pitch at the end.

The last, and in my opinion greatest disk is titled 'Piece of Infinity'.  It is a single 73 minute song that is almost completely empty.  It lies at the very core of the collection and symbolizes the true emptiness of the universe.  Listening to this song from beginning to end, even though it does have an end, is the closest thing I know of the concept of infinity, and is, in my opinion, the greatest and most powerful ambient song I've ever listened to.

If you have the patience to sit through all 5 hours of this masterpiece, then you will truly better yourself for it.