Still

Still contains some of the earliest studio collaborations between Aria Rostami and Daniel Blomquist, recorded in 2015 and 2016. Originally scheduled for release in 2018 but gradually pushed back until 2021, the album is in a similar mode as the barren, arctic soundscapes of 2016s Wandering Eye (a Glacial Movements release, like this one) rather than the haunting industrial techno of 2018s Dark Entries-issued Distant Companion. Opener −2 DEG.C does contain a vague dub-techno pulse underneath the gloomy drifting and faint glitches, and it surprisingly ends up bright and glowing, like a sudden outpouring of light after a period of uncertain darkness. Hoarfrost offsets heavenly ambient textures with a jarring procession of screeching and clanging noises. −3 DEG.C starts out sublime and tranquil, with a few sporadic, unconnected beats and distant bird chirps, before a soothing synth passage caked in crackling fuzz emerges, signaling a breath of hope in bleak times. The entire album is filled with these types of juxtapositions of harshness and beauty. ~ Paul Simpson