Mystified : life is a carnival

In his ongoing search for new sound sources to cull lush overtone-drones from, Mystified has come up with what the artist calls “carnival instruments” for this album, his second on Attenuation Circuit after “Coming Days.” The tracks do not sound particularly carnivalesque in themselves, but rather soothing. The drones flow rather than pulsate, and the mood is possibly more uplifting than on the doom-themed previous album, which makes the album a perfect ambience for recovering from carnivalesque revelry on the day after going to the carnival. Although it is impossible to gather from the drone compositions which instruments Mystified used, a title like “Hohnorable Drone” gives some indication that a Hohner harmonica may have been involved. The point Mystified seems to be making through his choice of instruments, though, is that the drone is inherent in all sounds and just needs to be freed. And, on a more pragmatic level, that the pleasures of making digitally enhanced drone music can be shared rather democratically because it neither requires classical instruments nor highly trained performers as source material. Some cheap carnival toys might do just as well and still yield beautiful results, as in the case of this album.

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