Hammock : Love In The Void (2022)

USA Hammock Music 73mins

Atmospheric and Ambient New Age Music

https://hammock.bandcamp.com/album/love-in-the-void

Rating 85/100

Music takes many forms, of course, the impact of which depends on where you are, what you are doing, and your emotional state at the time, and I could go on. But ‘Hammock’ is just one of those very special bands whose music is for listening to whilst relaxing and simply absorbing the magic. It is indeed music for the soul. Music that accentuates a mellow atmosphere and creates the feeling of well-being, rather than generating the excitement of a rock-orientated assembly or the cadence akin to a gig, or club dance floor. It is in fact the epitome of relaxation and the cleansing of the spirit as you close your eyes and wallow in the multitudes of melodious waves washing over you. It is music that defies time, lasts a lifetime and will always remain within easy grasp of the turntable

‘Hammock’ is a Duo, Marc Byrd & Andrew Thompson, from Nashville that formed in 2003 and has subsequently released 14 critically-acclaimed albums of neo-classical music blending components of ambient, electronic, and neoclassical music styles and presenting them as incidents of glorious daydreaming escapism very much in the style of Icelandic band ‘Sigur Ros’.

Their latest album ‘Love in the void’ comprises thirteen beautiful tracks that could oft be described as a package of swirling relaxative music in fact, and in a sense, an ethereal ‘medication’ taken in a music form, which in turn promotes relaxation and inner peace just as if you were swinging gently within a ‘Hammock’. The entire affair could be considered as an entire suite of music comprising several movements represented by each of the separate tracks. The musical arrangement for each track, on first listening, seems fairly similar and it is only with subsequent plays that a differentiation between the various movements are realised. It is then that the deft guitar and keyboard crescendos come to the fore, raising out from amidst the bedrock of electronic perfusions. The well-considered drumming throughout is superb and acts as a solid platform in transporting the music forward for delivery to the listener.

Because the music is totally unobtrusive it lends itself to lounge music, hotel foyer applications and anywhere else where a soothing, comforting and peaceful environment is beneficial.

Love In The Void Tracks

Al tonga written A pertermed by Marc Byrd & Andrew Thompson