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Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
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Reviews

Brannan Lane / Ashera — Sextant
(Ashera CDAW-2003-1, 2003, CD)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2003-12-01

Sextant Cover art

Why is it that I always end up reviewing CDs like this late at night? In fact I’ll probably be conked out long before the disc is finished; fortunately I’ve been playing this one at night constantly in repeat mode for about a week now, so I’m familiar with it at many levels of consciousness. Brannan Lane should need little introduction to regular Exposé readers; we’ve covered a number of his floating ambient releases over the last three or four issues, all of which are excellent, I might add. Ashera is Australian multi-instrumentalist Anthony Wright, who joins Lane here for a series of drifty, ethereal, and highly atmospheric dreamscapes spanning five long tracks. Sounds are produced using keyboards, 12 string MIDI guitar, percussion, and sonic treatments, often looped and delayed, and processed well beyond recognition, drifting and flowing like the soundtrack to a guided tour of your subconscious. With titles like “The Ghost Ship,” “The Navigator,” and “Sextant,” there seems to be a nautical theme at work here, which fits appropriately, but ultimately really doesn’t matter, because this is mighty manna for the imagination anyway! At any rate, Lane’s mastery of this genre becomes stronger with each successive release, and the collaborations such as this one, and Deep Unknown (with Vidna Obmana) are even all the more potent.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 28, 2003 releases

Related artist(s): Brannan Lane

More info
http://brannanlane.bandcamp.com/album/sextant-album

 

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