The power of an ambient album in its entirety is forever surprising. Daniel Klag’s new album, Permutations, is a hauntingly heavy work in noise, insisting upon the full attention and patience of its audience to deliver a wholly satisfying relaxation therapy session. Themes range from excruciatingly sluggish scales, unpredictable in length, to consistently inconsistent progressions of sounds that may not be soothing, but thought provoking and insightful nonetheless. Crumbly fuzz makes itself known disparately, poking its head up through a molasses-filled Loch Ness, and keeping a pulse in the relationship between Klag and his listeners, sometimes in facades of tremolo, like a ceiling fan kept on low. The record as a whole demands that you slow yourself down to listen to it, a much needed concept in a world of unending hustle and bustle.
Permutations is out March 13 on Chill Mega Chill Records.
