US based artist CHVAD SB is a composer and musician based out of Brooklyn who have been active since the early 1990’s in various bands and projects. He started releasing material under his artist moniker in 2012, his first purebred solo production an original motion picture score for the movie “Gut”. “Crickets Were the Compass” is the second album issued under the Chvad SB name, and was released through US label Silber Records in 2014.
As with many artists releasing their material through Silber Records, Chvad SB is one of those artists that explore music that resides safely in a relatively small niche placed well outside the overflooded mainstream music segment. In this case ambient is a key word, alongside drones. When that has been said, the musical expression explored revolves around moods that are just about as far removed from relaxing as you can get, so those who associate ambient music with moods of relaxation and new age territories might just be a little bit shocked if they decide to take this album on.
The compositions are all rather slow moving affairs, often minimalistic in build up and arrangements, and all developments are carefully inserted without any rush whatsoever. These aspects of the material are the ones that merits ambient to be used as a description, as well as the use of frail, subtle effects as counterpoints and contrasts to the dominating sounds in each given creation.
The dominant sounds throughout are dark toned drones of various kinds and intensities, from surging electronic sounds to hovering synths and fluctuating noisescapes with more of a machine like quality to them. Fairly often with an additional undercurrent of dark sounds, with everything from a constant hovering synth to what may sound like distant explosions adding an additional depth of darkness to the proceedings. Noise reverbs, delicate light toned electronic sounds, occasional shrill and light toned guitar details and cold, light toned electronic textures of various kinds are then applied in part or in whole.
The end result are slow moving constructions with repetitive, hypnotic sounds that maintains attention quite nicely, with subtle shifts, alterations and developments that in addition to the subtle contrasts strengthens the hypnotic qualities of the atmospheres crafted. In terms of mood and atmosphere these are generally dark, bleak and desolate, fairly often with unnerving tendencies. Dystopian soundscapes if you like.
If you tend to enjoy dark ambient music of the kind that does explore atmospheres that are desolate and generally void of uplifting tendencies, then this production by Chvad SB is worth an inspection. An affection for drones and noise textures will come in handy, and as many of these creations sports sounds that for me gave associations to science fiction and futuristic landscapes, a certain taste for soundscapes of that nature will probably be an advantage as well.
My rating: 80/100
