Perihelion [Import]

Once again we are immersed in a world of textures. The pieces seem to be improvised but there is a sense of structure ( if you can call it that) contained within. There is a darkness created, but at the same time the pieces contain beauty, that is to say it is a sound that reaches out for the light, if I can be holistic for a moment. At times I feel like I'm listening to a soundtrack to a science fiction film, the mood being alien, dark and foreboding. This is what I term underworld music, where the feel and tone is primal and at times on the uncomfortable side. The sound Viridian Sun manage to convey is quite filmic in parts and I would not be at all surprised to see these two guys composing for film one day if they haven't already. There are a lot of drones created in the process and it appears that the pieces are built around these drones. At times beatless, there is nonetheless a kind of subliminal pulse at play in the background. Some of the pieces (Elixir / Pelior is X / Void Vertigo ) are very similar to terrains that Eno explored on recordings like White Cube, industrial sounds processed over and over again and slowed down till they became unrecognizable. This is music for an isolated geography and listening to it late at night as I do I'm struck by this great sense of power within. Some of the longer tracks remind me of Robert Rich's all night sleep concerts, effectively lulling the listener into a deep hypnotic state where the sound washes over you and spirals out. The other point that strikes me is that it's difficult to distinguish between Mike Griffin's use of synthesizers and David Tollefson's treated guitars as the sound they create merges so effortlessly and seamlessly.This particular recording is quite a polished performance where a lot of time and care has been taken to 'get it right'. I believe the results speak for themselves. The last few releases on Hypnos have seen the label move more towards what some might call space ambient, where as before it appeared that the focus was on releasing interesting and experimental music from relatively unknown artists. On Perihelion they have managed to not only present a polished product, but retain this sense of that rough edge / uneasy listening. I think this is as good as anything Hypnos has released in the past. I know I have said it before but Hypnos are one of a few labels which are releasing interesting music, music which in the long run deserves a far greater listening audience. Check out their site for more info.