tonepoet - so gently we go

tonepoet 

So Gently We Go
Rusted Sun; 2013

4.0 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

There is something about organically conceived ambient album that just sounds closer the source of the sound. On tonepoet’s recent release So Gently We Go he takes the music that he makes with his guitar and manipulates and enhances it later with samples and field recordings. The music on this album tends to feel like an undercurrent. Whether it’s beneath our physical reality of our subconscious or not it concocts a sense of wonder and stillness. 

So Gently We Go is the kind of album that feels like it has therapeutic properties that could be beneficial to your wellbeing. I suggest listening to this album sparingly as it induces feelings of tranquility (the music would also probably work as a sleeping aid) unless that is what you are seeking. The most enjoyable part of the music is the nuances beneath layers of soundscapes. You can hear the field recordings on various songs, which adds another dimension to the music.

First up is the celestial nine-plus-minute title track “So Gently We Go,” which layers pads with other sounds. A little after the two-minute mark you hear something that sounds like the jet engine of an alien spacecraft. Meanwhile a field recording is heard that is made of sparse percussive elements drenched in an ample amount of reverb. There is a metamorphosis that introduces what sounds like distant horns syncopated to a metronome. 

“If It Goes Away (It Was Meant To)” combines a constant warm pad with squiggling patterns that mimic what one might think of when thinking about the subconscious. I couldn't help but think about the billions of synapses and neural connections forming in the brain (tonepoet may want to pitch this music to Nova).

“The Memory Has Left” creates an expansive bubble of sound while “Gone Today, Here Tomorrow” utilizes effective field recordings of rain. The album ends with “Prelude To Mind Control,” which revolves around tones that fall in and out of existence. They appear and then dissipate almost as quickly as they are introduced

Some might say that So Gently We Go is the type of record that you need to have some patience and a sense of peace to enjoy. I would disagree and say that just by listening to So Gently We Go  it instills patience and a sense of peace you need to enjoy it. 

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