Ralph Steinbrüchel’s formal training is that of a graphic designer, and his approach to Parallel Landscapes is one of a visual artist more than a sonic one. Packaged with a thick booklet of photography and design, this album is as much of an audio as it is a visual composition. With less of a focus on rhythms or melody, and more on vast expanses of terrain and landscape, simultaneously beautiful and foreboding, the album has a consistent, yet complex sensibility to it.
Split into eight numbered pieces, the first piece is comprised of clean bell tones and strange textures.At times he utilizes a ringing that sounds akin to wind chimes, but resonating in some alien, unexplainable environment.These elements are blended in to the second piece:an extension of the long, shimmering tones and cold, icy environments that are isolating; yet inviting.
Even into the third part, there is a sense of tranquility, albeit an isolated and lonely (one.Distant tones and a soft, calm feel overall are wonderfully peaceful without drifting too close to boring new age territory.On "05" Steinbrüchel works with the same body of tones, stretched out into infinity, but slowly unraveling, shifting from the soft tones to noisier, harsher ambience and distortion.
Just as a visual artist would, Steinbrüchel mixes both the clean lines (tones) with rawer, textural patterns as well.On "04" he introduces (and processes) what sounds like cell phone interference into a subtle, understated accent to the softer passages of beautiful sound.That hint of dissonance reappears in the seventh piece, obscuring the previously soft tones with a slight bit of effective grime.
In addition to drawing moods, Steinbrüchel does the same with environments, creating audio spaces that conjure near visible experiences from the sounds he creates.The microscopic sounds of "06" have a murky, underwater cavernous feel to them.Similarly, the moody "08" has him blending in some lower end swells that have a somewhat dark feel to them, and with the lighter moments still in play, it feels like a star-lit night in the middle of nowhere.
Much like the lengthy booklet that accompanies Parallel Landscapes, Steinbrüchel’s music consists of natural, organic beauty paired with clearly drawn, definitive structural lines and textural patterns.It may have a similarly monochromatic tone as the cover, but the subtle variations and changes are extremely effective in creating a beautiful, inviting, yet still desolate album.
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