3.5

Release data:

Near the Parenthesis – L’Eixample
CD, n5MD, 2008

Near the Parenthesis is the musical (dis)guise of San Francisco-based musician Tim Arndt, of which “L’Eixample” is his third full length release. Arndt himself describes his compositional style as “melancholic aesthetic”.

The album, which was inspired by the overall impact and environment of the city of Barcelona, contains nine ambient tracks featuring textural, atmospheric music, which all reflect a melancholic, overall calming, subdued state.

Gentle beats, bits of glitch, and rhythmic components accompany distorted guitar sounds, intimate, mellow synth and vocal pads with sparse melodic lines, while varied field recordings (made during Arndt’s travels) lend its own distinct pastel colours.

Occasionally vaporizing an undeniable sense of religious meaning (e.g. “Smdm”), these well executed and produced ambient electronics with reflective undercurrents radiates a peculiar sense of magic and longing for not often found.
Think of the feel the music Ulrich Schnauss provokes with a twist.

Website: www.n5md.com