Poemme - Soft Ice Mp3

Poemme "Soft Ice" CDr

Since I was always deeply fascinated by monumentally expansive drifscapes, my first, quite unexpected encounter of Poemme's soundworlds left me immediately breathless!!! Although my discovery came only a few weeks after its official release date on Polar Seas Recordings, I was too late to acquire a personal copy directly from the artist, but fortunately still in time to grab one of the last ones through this Canadian ambient/drone/electronic label based in Toronto. Poemme is Angela Klimek, a sound and visual artist from Cleveland, now based in Columbus, Ohio, who is the wife of Andrew J. Klimek, the driving force behind sympathetic Stereoscenic Records and Ambient Sleeping Pill radio, who is also responsible for the mastering job on "Soft Ice". The digital version of "Soft Ice" was originally released through Stereoscenic Records at the end of February 2017 together with another Poemme's drifting balm "Arboretum". Then re-issued on a physical CDr format on July 21st on above mentioned Polar Seas Recordings in a limited edition of 50 copies in a card stock 8-page booklet with gorgeously immersing artwork by Angela Klimek and photo textures by Sascha Duensing. The booklet with CD is hand-numbered and housed in a stamped envelope. A sheer beauty!!!

Rejuvenating the artist's memories of winters while growing up in Cleveland, the bleak magic straightly unfolds with the opening, 9-plus minutes long "Clouds Of Breath". Quietly expanding drone swiftly reaches its gracefully grandiose panoramic magnitude and effortlessly glides and tides towards the awe-inspiring, warmly tenebrous meridians. A journey to the forefront of the gargantuan depths of atmospheric bliss has just begun!!! So no wonder my first meeting with Poemme's aural and visual allure was so jaw-dropping. The next composition "Southbound Formations", having approximately the same length as its predecessor, tightly remains on the path of immense sonorousness, although slightly less intense at the beginning with its vaguely shimmering piano glimpses, but over the course monstrous serenity inconspicuously permeates across gorgeously nuanced introspective vistas. Auxiliary titillating reverberations percolate as well, while monumental halcyon drone guides this sonic ambrosia into its conclusion. Tranquil gem!!! "Lake-effect", the longest piece on the album clocks to 10 and a half minutes and it quickly returns to massively enveloping drone zones, where ethereally nebulous solitariness persistently commingle with transcendentally resonant dissonances and passing clattering glimmers. Majestically sweeping flow at its most infinite and engrossing!!! "Quilted", at 5:47 the shortest track on "Soft Ice" delves deeply into colossally thick stratums driven by tenaciously monochromatic humming monoliths, staggeringly infinite, and intriguingly juxtaposed by rising and ebbing choir-like blankets guarding above. This mighty drone splendor is profoundly transporting and masterfully evokes unforgettable sceneries of splendidly nostalgic hazy wintery emptiness and loneliness. Bravo, Angela!!! "When The Sun Is A Stranger" keeps on carving immersing images of barren snow capped solitudes with its calmly gray undulations and surrounding, majestically enigmatic drifts. "The Park At Night" closes this stunningly engulfing recording with the sinuous grace of droning contemplations, when bridging crescendoing momentous tapestries, yet poetically reflective with idyllic nocturnal quietudes.

Over 49-minutes long "Soft Ice" album serves an aural and visual medicine in large doses, to me, it's a true sensation and Poemme is undoubtedly one of the biggest revelations of 2017!!! Splendiferous work, Angela, and kudos to Polar Seas Recordings!!! Although "Soft Ice" CDr is sold out already, don't miss its digital version!!! I also really hope forenamed "Arboretum" album will make it to a CD or CDr edition one day. In any case, I stay deeply focused on this talented soundscaper, because Angela Klimek's sound paintings deserve to be fully experienced. As far I know, two new albums are in the works, the first is described as an ambient soundtrack for cloud-gazing, while the second one is a deep-sea-themed sleep album, which should be released on a physical format as well. Poemme's music is absolutely delightful and it's an ultimate must have for all cognoscenti of pure atmospheric magnificence!!!

Richard Gürtler (Nov 12, 2017, Bratislava, Slovakia)