Ten years ago, Carbon Based Lifeforms released TwentyThree, an LP that stripped away the downtempo/psybient grooves that gave earlier efforts such lush flavors. Venturing into pure ambient and drone territory was a natural decision for the band, although not one that a good part of their fan base desired. Now, the Swedish duo returned to these experiments, albeit in a more freeform fashion. Having found some old synthesizers, they decided to explore the random functionalities on them. This way, the generated patterns were listened to by the band as background music while working. Pleased with the results, they ultimately decided to share this material, entitled Stochastic.
As expected, the musical approach is minimalistic, relying heavily on the atmosphere the full length creates as a whole…
After releasing the brilliant Interloper, Carbon Based Lifeforms spent some years indulging in the droning side of their project, crafting the solid Twentythree and VLA, as well as recording a soundtrack to the movie Refuge. The latter saw them expanding the sound towards minimalist post rock and trance music a la Gas. These LPs were nice experiments, still none had the charm and catchiness of previous endeavors. A long wait preceded its release, however, Derelicts gladly picks up where the Swedish duo left off back in 2010.
Right from the beginning, "Accede" wraps us into its warm, airy, synth-heavy atmosphere that gently unfolds with each minute passing by…
The Swedish duo Carbon Based Lifeforms graces us with their fourth album Twentythree, an interpretation of sidereal music captured in and around layers of atmospheres. From wide and far reaching soundscapes, the hypnosis subtly builds up with washes of ethereal melodies while floating pads are brushed by reverberated organic and electric data or the distant echoes of life on a planet. The album Twentythree consists of 8 genuine and unrestrained tracks that will forever expand our visions of the open space. Authentic and vibrant, deeply emotive, the story unfolds.