Ison is an ambient post-rock project put together by Daniel Änghede (previously of Crippled Black Phoenix) and Light Field Reverie vocalist Heike Langhans. Having crafted two EPs in 2015 and 2018, the duos debut LP was released in 2019 to great acclaim. Heike departed the project shortly after this, and after a period of reflection Daniel has decided to pursue further sonic adventures alone, with a sprinkling of guest musicians.
This resultant sophomore album brings together a collection of diverse soundscapes seemingly gelled together by a single narrative. Each of the eight tracks features a different vocalist and achieves the “unique vibe” that Daniel states he was aiming for, nonetheless the album maintains an atmosphere of thematic consistency throughout.
To pick out highlights would be doing a disservice to performances elsewhere on the album. Be it ethereal dreamy compositions such as “Celestial” and album closer “Aquarian”, the reflective ambience of “Penumbra”, or more energetic passages such as those found in “Waves” and “Meridian”, Ison successfully meld elements of shoegaze, doom, post-rock and synthwave. This makes for a doom laden, yet strangely uplifting 70 minutes for the listener. With fantastic performances from the architect and his ensemble of guests, it’s an altogether absorbing and soothing experience.
In summary, “Aurora” differs from its predecessor by moving out of the shadows and conveying more spacey atmospherics. An abstract lesson in modern, understated gothic splendour.
(8/10 Doogz)
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