https://erikgundel.bandcamp.com
Genre: Ambient
Rating: 4/5
released on bandcamp April 8, 2022
LOM is a surprisingly diverse record. The bandcamp notes and a little googling lets you know that Brooklyn resident (how do they afford it?), Gundel, takes his craft seriously and has been at it for a while and his professional approach pays dividends.
There are some apparent and predictable (that isn’t a bad thing) influences in here: Klaus Schulze, Pink Floyd, Eno… but the surprising part, to me at least, is there’s a bit of Weather Report in here, too. Most acutely, on the second track, like light to a moth, but after you hear it, it redirects your listening toward the fusion embedded in the songs. The composition isn’t mindless droning but rather much closer to third stream jazz. And there have been a handful of successful ambient jazz records over the last couple years but this is more like when jazz is borrowed into the classical tradition. It doesn’t sound like Gershwin but there’s a conceptual similarity.
The only reason this is 4 and not 5 stars is I feel like the vocals of Felicia Douglass sort of mess up the flow. They’re really good but the record doesn’t need it. Later on, Will Skarstad, throws in some screamo type metal vocals and you’ll just have to listen to it if you don’t believe me that it fits like a glove.
Warmth Highest 