Two Way Mirrors - Endure
Released: January 17
Endure is the first work I had heard from this side project of well-known ambient composer Thomas Ragsdale (or Sulk Rooms notoriety). As such, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect but what I got was thoroughly enjoyable. I particularly enjoyed the way in which it seemed a bit more abrasive than some of the work under Sulk Rooms, which tends to be a bot more subdued and spacious feeling. If Sulk Rooms feels a bit like ambient in a cavern, Two Way Mirrors feels more like ambient in a cathedral with a touch of ominous aggression. Even some of the titles evoke a more lucid pseudo-nightmare aesthetic such as “They Found Your Rotting Head (In a Peat Bog)” and “Stag With Antlers Chained Together.” It’s unclear what kind of message is being sent here but the ambiguity is a bit unsettling, as seems to be the intent.
Some of the tracks have a more amorphous feel, similar to work under other aliases, but other definitely cross a boundary into something quite different. The aforementioned “Stag With Antlers Chained Together” stands out as one of my favorite tracks on the album with its primary synth giving the impression of a back and forth sawing motion. It grows louder and more distorted at certain points, adding sense of unease to an already uneasy atmosphere, but the rhythm of the synth keeps the track grounded well in a rather hypnotic feeling.
“The Mezzotint” brings a similar motif as the album nears its end, though it plays a bit more lose with the consistent rhythm, allowing itself drift in and out of the audible sphere and giving room to the lush textures and pads that would otherwise wise dominate the soundscape. With all of this pre-built tension, the album ends itself on several much more ambient notes with “Unlucky Song of Love,” a slow and dirge-like piece infused with a white noise overlay, and “Last Night of the Proms,” which plays a bit like an extension of the preceding track though with a greater sense of occasional discomfort. All in all, its a rather great listen that puts together equal parts of unease and serenity in odd and dynamic combinations.
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