What: “This is Memorial Device” by Whalt Thisney
Netlabel: Pilot Eleven Netlabel
Might I recommend that your first resolution for the new year be to listen to some excellent ambient? This five-song album from Whalt Thisney (on the Pilot Eleven Netlabel) will be just the ticket to accomplish that goal. Like most of the best ambient you can enjoy it as background music, but closer attention rewards the listener with its less obvious textures.
All the tracks here feature some lovely, echoing, slightly off-in-the-distance piano. The comparison that sprang to mind for me is Harold Budd’s playing on “The Pearl,” his collaboration with Brian Eno. The production touches (electronics and other noises) sometimes subtly embellish the piano, and sometimes provide a slightly more aggressive counterpoint. The final track “Vala” is the “outlier” in that that it pushes the envelope ever so slightly with more intrusive sounds, but the overall ride on this production is still a smooth way to glide into 2019.