Olivia Block ‎- Heave To

Now here's something a bit different from the usual on this blog.

Olivia Block is a musician and electroacoustic composer from Chicago, Illinois using chamber instrumentation, field recordings and digital effects and synthesis. Alongside her audio releases, she produces site-specific installations as well as scores for performance and film. That's what Discogs says at least.

Heave To is  a relatively short (for this kind of music at least) ambient album that she released back in 2006. What strikes me the most here is the closeness of the sound. As soon as this little beast starts roaring its inhumane sounds it feels like your in the dead center of it. I don't know how she does this but the audio quality of his album is pristine. The sounds themselves, much like the cover, are very cold and intense. Often among the drone and really low noise orchestral music kicks in that remind me most of Penderecki's work in sonorism. But I'm not very versed to claim such things (it just sounds like that to me, I might be wrong).

Overall this is a really great, intense ambient/noise album that's actually really accessible and even if you're not into this sort of thing perhaps you should give this a try if you're in the mood for some cold and unforgiving music.

Get.