11 December 2005

Pliiant - Soothe The Wound - Ampoule - 2x3" CD







Ambient music can be something of a double-edged sword a lot of the time and whilst I've always been a fan of the chilled out sound of Electronica, you can often find yourself bogged down in obvious sounds from obvious artists on obvious labels.

So it's always a relief to hear genuinely interesting music that's laid-back, relaxed, yet engaging enough to not be mindless background music.

Step forward Pliiant...

Ampoule is one of those great labels that doesn't release a great deal, but when they do... my word, you're always in for a treat! And Pliiant is still something of a mystery to me. Is it Pub in disguise? Is it half of Lucky & Easy? I'm just not sure.

Having spent some time with this delectable release, however, I would certainly err on the side of it being Pub-related as it has all the hallmarks of depth and beauty that you would expect from that particular artist.

The release itself is the 3rd limited 'Talent' offering available in very small quantities from a very small number of shops (exclusivity can be a good thing I'm starting to believe, although it has the downside of encouraging a whole heap of downloading and selling for silly prices on Ebay) and, to be honest, this is probably already out of print. If you can track it down though, it's well worth it and you can rest assured that it's a superb quality piece of work.

There are 9 tracks spread over the the two miniature discs and, believe me, there's not a moment wasted. From beginning to end it's a voyage of blissful, textural sound that is probably the most chilled of the releases so far.

The tracks blend into one another thematically and sound-wise so that you're almost never aware of any breaks between pieces.

There's a drifting, ethereal quality here that brings to mind the deeper shoegazing bands of the '90's and combined with the detailed, dense soundscapes it leaves you with a sense of timelessness that's very appealing in these days of disposable music that dates oh-so-quickly.

Rhythmically it's minimal, to say the least. That's not to say there are no beats, but they're there merely as a backdrop for the all important tones and layers and they feel somehow incidental compared to the musical aspects. But, there's a very pleasant surprise in store as Pliiant has picked up a guitar and added a mellow, almost psychedelic set of organic tracks into the mix that use vocals and, again, a slightly indie feel to give it all a human touch. Combining this with the overall Electronica sound works like an absolute dream and punctuates the music beautifully.

Essentially if you're a fan of Pub's work or the Pop Ambient albums, this is for you. If you like atmospheric and densely layered Electronica, this is for you. If you're even remotely interested in just plain great sounds, this is for you.

Delightful, beautifully produced and very desirable because of its scarcity, this is a release that will easily stand the test of time.

Gorgeous.

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