Nearfield - Mars (2011)

"I was pleasantly surprised when, instead of a disjointed collection of various quality components, I encountered a cohesive record, which is the album 'Mars.' The arrangements and internal structure of the compositions are consistent across all tracks, which some might appreciate as an individual style, while others might criticize for lacking imaginative flights. However, what intrigues me is that despite its stylistic limitations, the listener doesn't grow weary. Partly due to the softness of the smoothly flowing sounds and partly because of perceiving the album as a fantastic story.

Immersing yourself in this wondrous world, you will acquaint yourself with fragments of Martian everyday life, as imagined by Nearfield. The seamless transitions from track to track feel natural, maintaining the 'right' mood until the very last seconds of the album. Yet, the mood the picture evokes is overly melancholic and somber. Simply put, it is human.

Additionally, I appreciated the skillful (innate?) balance between background (not requiring deep contemplation) music and IDM overload when one can no longer bear the intricacies of amateur virtuosos. Leisurely rhythms gently blend with enveloping ambient, akin to marshes, and snippets of speech samples interrupt the romance of swirling snowflake-like unpretentious melodies. Then, the musical stories transition to a new twist of the spiral.

Vladimir Dragun ©"