Ten Times the World Lied

Ten Times the World Lied seems to be Brock Van Weys statement about how humankind has abused and taken advantage of the natural resources of this planet. Or perhaps hes expressing doubts about our ability to trust each other. All of the track titles follow a pattern (Not Yours to Take, Not Yours to Find, etc.) and they all clock in at exactly 7:52. Incidentally, they were all recorded in a single take on the tenth of every month, over a span of ten months. The sound is classic bvdub -- deeply emotional ambient pieces which sound like a storm of conflicting feelings brewing inside, except this time theres a complete lack of the type of dramatic, mournful vocal samples hes known for using. For anyone whos found those samples to be distracting or a bit too overwrought, this might come as a relief. Either way, this is absolutely stunning, powerful music. The composer has a gift for making music that can seem soothing and easy, but then a certain string pad or post-rock guitar melody will come in and instantly trigger some half-buried emotional impulse, hitting you in a way that you werent ready for. Not Yours to Give is perhaps the most affecting example of this, starting out as a calming drift before a more urgent melody provides an infusion of pathos. The string-heavy Not Yours to Keep feels sort of like a slow carousel continuing to operate through a wind storm. Elsewhere, many pieces are filled with tones that swarm together and roll outwards, perhaps attempting to concentrate regret into helium balloons and just letting them blow away in the wind. ~ Paul Simpson