Aarktica
Ecstatic Lightsongs (green In Black Galaxy)
Limited Edition of 200 copies on 140g Translucent GREEN in Black Galaxy Vinyl. Comes with a coloured credit / lyrics insert. RIYL: Talk Talk, Mogwai, Durutti Column, Felt, The Cure Aarktica's 10th studio album merges transcendent atmospheres with darkly danceable rhythms, orchestral strings, expansive analog synths and layers of modulated, tape-echo guitars. The result is an immersive sound that pays homage to classic darkwave and art-rock, with a hypnotic ambience and a lyrical embrace of the bittersweet. A sense of wistful nostalgia is palpable throughout Ecstatic Lightsongs, which covers a vast sonic spectrum, even for an artist who has woven a seamless tapestry through myriad genre explorations over the course of his three-decade career. The hallmark of Aarktica's ambient melancholia remains, but here it's built around a core of rhythmic elements and the addition of synthesizers, both of which have been largely eschewed on the artist's releases over the last decade. "I envisioned this album to be a fusion of rhythm and ambience," shares Aarktica's Jon DeRosa. "I thought a lot about the way rhythm is used on albums like Talk Talk's Laughing Stock, where the drums hold a beautiful space that allows the musical elements to unfold freely, spaciously, and minimally at times." DeRosa's baritone vocals explore nostalgia, loss, alienation and the desire for human and spiritual connection, with an optimism and hopefulness that leaves the door ajar for the light to get in.