The press release that came with this disc describes the album as Murray’s "latest / greatest album of cinematic drone anthems," and state that this should appeal to fans of William Basinski, Greg Davis, Birchville Cat Motel, Colin Potter, and Andrew Chalk. I’ll be honest – none of those artists are in my collection at the moment, so I’ll try to come up with some of my own comparisons. Overall, this is an interesting mix of field recordings and noisy drone. This disc started as live recordings that then were taken into the studio and reworked, but one would not really be able to tell. Let’s look at the individual tracks.
Hymn One – Starts with a buzzing drone that reminds me of some of Jliat’s work. At about 3 minutes in, some synth drone kicks in to take some of the edge off of it. Noisy elements come in at times, keeping the track engaging.
Seize - Seems like mainly field recordings of someone moving stuff around in a warehouse but with little processing. Not terribly engaging until what sounds like a harmonica or accordian kicks in at about 2 minutes. As the track progresses, it becomes ever so slightly more chaotic, which keeps it interesting.
Hymn Two – At 2.59, this is the shortest track on the album. This track is straight up noise. It sounds like someone fast forwarding a cassette tape in a busy laundromat. I like it. Flows smoothly into the next track.
Seas – The harmonica returns for what is the longest track on the disc (19.42). This has an odd sort of irregular rhythm with different drones entering and leaving at various times. Kind of reminds me of Zoviet France’s "Loh Land." At about 13 minutes in, it becomes a bit more minimalist drone but still interesting.
Hymn One (Reprise) – Drones and electronic crackles begin this track. Eventually the drones from Hymn One come in, but it is a lot more chaotic and noisy, especially toward the end.