SiJ and Texere Oris are Back with Reflections at the Sea On Cryo Chamber

SiJ and Texere Oris are back with another collaborative offering, titled Reflections at the Sea. 2016 was the year of their previous collaborative work published through dark ambient stalwart Cryo Chamber, Reflections under the Sky (on bandcamp), and much like its predecessor, this album is a stirring mosaic of textured sound design and almost lethargic desultory whimsy.

The premise of this album is simply stated: a man, alone in a big city, yearning to see the ocean, and then a bank of fog rolls in… the use of that singular little plot hook predicating the ambience gives a powerful premonitory entrance to the soundscapes.

Sections of these tracks are simply beautiful - a soft pad of almost melancholy yearning as the listener drifts upon the edge of their mind to experience the sea; with eyes closed, the music paints an ocean vista as only one who is trapped in a city would know. The dilatory momentum carries field recordings to the ears, the sounds of splashing and cascades of water - indecipherable conversations between those fortunate enough to be frolicking among the surf, and the music reflects the passionate infatuation to be among the waves. 

Horns, and a melodious saxophone, waft to and fro, at times seeming to almost give an emotional stirring with a minor chord inflection. Ghostly choirs - the beautiful voice of Ilya Fursov -  carry the tunes, giving a haunting grandeur to the tracks, as the album slowly takes you through field recordings of seeming normalcy - the ocean is constantly at the edge of your imagination as you proceed through your daily routines, the waves lapping lazily in the distance, beckoning you with their embrace. 

This album is a relaxing blanket of sound design and atmosphere, and you can get Reflections Under the Sky on April 20, 2021 in digital and CD Digipak on the Cryo Chamber Bandcamp page.