David Arkenstone - Beneath a Darkening Sky (2016)

David Arkenstone has reached a new creative landmark in his music with Beneath A Darkening Sky, a densely layered and richly textured visual work of haunting mystery, subtle dread, and ghostly gothic undertones. Opening up his musical toolbox to a degree seldom seen in his many past recordings, Arkenstone creates cinematic soundscapes that combine the eerie elements of dark ambient with more overt melodicism featuring a wide palette of instruments and influences. All of these elements are woven into something truly special, even by this landmark artist's standards. By turns powerful and dramatic (e.g. accented by Gregorian-like chorals, tribal percussion, and orchestral swells) or formless, shifting currents of minor-key swaths of melody, Arkenstone sprinkles his assorted influences like a master painter applying color after color in crafting a masterpiece of startling images: Nordic, Celtic, gothic classical, ambient, new age, and cinema soundtrack are just some of what Arkenstone taps into, while merging them all into what is uniquely David Arkenstone. Production values, as they are on all this artist's recordings, are sky high. Headphones in a dark room will make this music come alive in vibrant and exciting fashion.

Aptly titled, Beneath a Darkening Sky is a wonderfully dark percussive ambient-like album. It s a deep listening CD, not the type to fill space in the background of your day. David Arkenstone paints brooding, textured, almost unforgiving landscapes that demand your attention. This album has a purpose to grab you by the collar and take you with it. No droning for droning sake. For a guy who lives in sunny climates, Arkenstone has captured the true desolation of a long midwestern winter. Ambient fans and newcomers to Arkenstone's music and will appreciate the complex and enticing layers of sonic cloud cover that commands the listeners ear in all of these pieces. And never fear, long time Arkenstone fans, you will not be disappointed! You will be pleased to find enough traditional high seas adventure passages and signature Arkenstone silver linings in this cloud cover to delight the voyager in you. Arkenstone has long been the architect of lush sweeping musical soundtracks to far away magical places and voyages that Jules Verne and J.M. Barrie would be proud to be a part of. The opening track, The Fog, makes the hair on the back of your neck rise. Fans of Olafur Arnolds will appreciate the dark rhythms that Arkenstone just lightly accents with harmonic waves. Brilliant! On The Moonless Midnight, the hang drum is the perfect featured sound in this dark driving track with spooky monk voices and Lisa Gerrard-like vocalizations. A harmonically perfect breathing, luscious piece. Most of Arkenstone s catalog of music is rather sunshiny and bright with festive high sea voyages. On Beneath A Darkening Sky, Arkenstone takes a walk through a more menacing field of sounds and paints a convincing picture of the darker side. Or as I like to call it - The fun side! There is a lot more exciting things to make your heart race within these dark percussive textures and rolling thunder!

Tracklist:

1. The Fog (7:04)
2. The Deep Desolation (8:51)
3. The Storm (8.28)
4. The Moonless Midnight (8:32)
5. The Ice Forest (8:54)
6. They Are Coming (8:39)
7. The Wind From The North (8:03)