Everything＜Colored Vinyl＞

Frenchman Franck Zaragoza is now on his sixth album as Ocoeur, in a career which has traversed IDM, ambient, and modern classical. This release expertly synthesizes all these styles into a marvelous aural journey. Ascent gradually piles up multiple layers of synths -- some pulsing, some droning, some piercing -- to evoke the titular ascent. The title track begins with an arpeggiated synth line and swelling organ chords, and subtly brings in elements of IDM -- wintry whooshes, a sporadic clicking beat, and a deep grinding bass pulse -- which grow after the drop to encompass the whole track. Its mesmerizing stuff: the listener can really picture an ordeal through an arctic blizzard toward a palace of ice at the top of the world. Current incorporates piping synths and the sound of rattling wooden-tuned percussion for a shorter interlude thats faintly reminiscent of worldbeat pioneers Deep Forest. Glow slows down the proceedings with another cavernous wash of synth, backed by tumbling, bit-crushed beats, thats like watching mist settle over the top of a Pacific rainforest. The albums last 20 minutes -- fully half its running time -- is taken up by the beatless diptych Dawn and Dusk. The first part is hopeful, warm, and bright, yet also somehow chilling -- one can imagine the sun rising over a vast, empty landscape. The latter re-enters IDM territory with decaying, pitch-bent synths that recall Autechres classic ambient album Amber, lowering minor chords slowly soundtracking the dying of the light. The influence of pioneers like Vangelis, Eno, and Jarre is writ large over this album, but this is no slavish homage. What Zaragoza has created is truly his own, and this release is the apex of his career thus far, seamlessly blending all the styles he has heretofore explored. This is a magnificent album that comes highly recommended to all lovers of classic ambient. ~ John D. Buchanan