Locust - Weathered Well

Mark Van Hoen delivers his debut as Locust with _Weathered Well_, a dark, ambient journey on the sorely missed Apollo label. The low throbs of “Prospero” accentuate the mysterious melody, while the near-chorale of “Moist Moss” infuse the track with almost a baroque sensibility. The skewed harmonies of “Weathered Gate” underscore the club-ready beat, and the outer space laser wars of “Tamed” are punctuated by subtle spoken-word samples. “Still” maintains a zero-gravity iciness throughout, and I’m not sure what kind of romance he’s thinking of on “Music About Love,” but it’s a ominous and dense one indeed. Almost a companion piece, “Lust” goes even deeper with a plodding bass and what sounds like a acidified didgeridoo. And, finally, “Fawn” skulks around with its metallic tones. Deep and dark.

Excellent experiment into ambient with frequent beats. The production is terrific, the songwriting is mostly inspired, and lulled but menacing atmosphere of this cd is very strong.

The hypnotic nature of the slower songs is so powerful that even when the cd gets more frenetic, you don't mind or notice much. This cultured sound is brilliant for anyone who wants to explore into mid-90s ambient that isn't as sluggish as, say, Biosphere (who I also recommend), but still isn't meant for the dancefloor. 5/5