Martina Lussi - Selected Ambient [Hallow Ground]

New on the Swiss-label Hallow Ground is "Selected Ambient", the album debut of the Swiss composer Martina Lussi who, knowingly or unknowingly, partly borrows her album title from a legendary Aphex Twin album or at least evokes associations to the alltime classic and reference album for many that followed. On this longplay piece the artist presents an array of four tracks named after precious gemstones starting with "Sodalith", a floating, rippling excursion into and blueprint of classic Ambient presenting some irritation in terms of serving slightly wafting guitar movements from a Psychedelia-driven world whereas the follow-up "Achat" caters fascinating, yet haunting sub movements paired with ear-piercing, metallic atmospheres and an overall eerieness which is once again broken by inward looking, spatial guitar plucks, bits of distant, subaquatic percussion and unexpected tonal warps whilst later, and for no obvious reason, adding a straight, club-based 4/4 foundation to the otherwise freely morphing layers of sound. Furthermore we see "Citrin" fusing muffled, ever shifting crackles, seemingly field recorded bits and a repetetive, warm and embracing Post-PostRock attitude from which a frosty vintage synth spiral unfolds before "Opal" caters a solemn amalgamation of pure Ambience and stripped down Electronica-resembling loop structures which unfold clear and undisturbed to make this final cut our favorite choice on this album.