Release data:

Acheloo – Ishtar
CD-R, AD Music, 2008

On “Ishtar” (the follow-up album to “Sirens”) Carlo Luzi intended to deepen his search for the sound, getting closer to the essence and the core of sounds in a more minimalist style.

On the concept, Carlo explained the dualist aspect continues as well: the beneficent goddess and terrifying demon at the same time, the expression of the life cycle, of the succession of the seasons on the Earth, the Great Mother and the Queen of the Underworld, the one who sent the dreams and omens, the revelation and understanding of things that are hidden.

The elegant flowing textural content of “Ishtar” at times comes close to the soft dwelling soundscapes which marked Steve Roach’s landmark recording “Dreamtime Return”, especially when one listens to the 12-minute opening track “I am the Earth’s Mistress”.
The electronic sounds are nicely complemented by sounds of the sea and spacy guitar, giving the music a dreamy atmosphere. This is music moving in the slow lane, taking its time to venture into deeper sound worlds. On the second and third track, the gliding sound of the e-guitar is more prominent, but remains pleasant.

The album ends with “Ishtar Gate”, split in two parts of 7 and 11 minutes. On these two great pieces, nicely layered velvet textures return, slowly cascading and shimmering in its dreamy content while some nice guitar pops up here and there. These pieces make me rank this album even higher than “Sirens”.

All in all, these gentle, soft glowing and well rendered soundwaves are recommended for ambient fans.
Like the previous album, the release is only available as digital download from the AD Music webshop, but upon request the label provides a cd-r with full artwork.

Website: www.acheloo.com

You can see what reviews I have done of this artist on the Acheloo artist page