COLIN BASS & DANIEL BIRO

Still

TMoving ambient soundscapes from Camel man.

his is a deceptive album. One listen can lead you to mistake it for a collection of ambient compositions which are easy on the ear, yet never destined to make lasting ripples in your memory. But that would be doing Still a major injustice.

The combination of Camel bassist Colin Bass and minimalist jazz rock musician Daniel Biro proves inspired. The sparse construction of these songs allow both men to explore the depths in the material here in a manner that evokes Brian Eno’s collaborations with Ryuichi Sakamoto.

There’s a strong synergy between the two musicians, who never upstage one another. Moreover, when it’s required, one takes the lead, with the other complementing in the background. So Biro is at the helm for Heaven and The Man Who Never Was while Bass is to the fore on Hands and Summer.

There are also strategic contributions from guitarist Joonas Widenius, adding extra colour where it’s necessary. Throughout, Bass’ captivating, world-weary vocals add humanity, conjuring images of nostalgia (There Once Was A Time), darkness (Faces) and hope (Summer). It makes for an album that’s breathtaking in its understated magnificence.