Otavan Veret - Otavan Veret

Space ambient music producers Otavan Veret unleashed their debut album earlier in the year via Cyclic Law Records, making a very welcome addition to their family. is the title of their release, allowing three composition that span a total of fifty minutes to bode you to both a path of peace, but also lethargy as the calming presence of each lurking tune and sound breaks any stress you may have, and settles you down completely.

Each composition is simply titled after a number; first song is I, second is II, and the third, of course, is III. The cover art of the album can be appreciated as well; just staring into the artwork as the music plays can easily show you where the influences from the album come from.

And, with track I, the magic unfolds. Dark ambient flows out immediately with little tings here and there, the synths layering as a low electronic, drum-like set is played beneath. Choral samples maintain a bit of a presence as all moves forward. The pattern repeats for much of the set; eighteen minutes of tribal-essence and dark ambient work made this a decent track to listen to. I don't think the length was necessary for the content present on the song, but it was good overall.

Drone notes come into play with II, layering on top of one another as very slight effects play out below the tune. This is definitely music that should be listened through in complete silence on headphones; trust me, take the time to listen to this in solitude, and you won't be disappointed. The somber melody that echoes from the synth work was grand, and each dragged out note lasted only for so long before transcending into a new queue. Very well done; the seventeen minute length seemed like a blur once I got done with it.

Lastly, III rose from the grave and worked in some tribal drums; they were more present than before and held a good amount of liability for the song to focus on. More synths that spoke of a somber, almost exploratory tone worked in nicely, and I enjoyed it all. And, again, just like with the last song, the twelve minute length didn't seem that long at all. Perhaps, if anything, it seemed like a joyous ride to go on. A little repetitive, but that was something I could easily live with.

And, that's where the album ended. For a debut album, these guys did pretty well. The songs are stellar, the production quality very decent. The lengths of the songs can seem a bit unjustified when so little is going on, but I really only felt that was about the first track. The second two hit home, and now I feel at peace. Perhaps it's good that I'll be going to bed after this; it's like a sweet lullaby sung to me before I crawl under my blankets and rest easy. But, to Otavan Veret, I thank you for creating such lovely music; I appreciate it, and hope my words typed out say the same. Aug 25 2014