I was first introduced to Resonant Drift a few years ago when Bill Olien contacted me about his debut disc, "Flow Mingled Down". I was particularly impressed with his ability to create environment and atmosphere on that album, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I was really excited about hearing his latest release "The Call". For this outing Bill has collaborated with new musical partner Gary Johnson, and the end result is a stunning work of ambient brilliance where every track presents a beautiful and unique space to explore.

"The Call" opens the disc by creating a quiet natural environment, a lush garden in the rain where birds twitter and chirp. Tones slowly rise up from the soundscape, eventually taking the lead. Pads wash through the space, creating an ebb and flow overtop a deep spacey drone. "Invocation" follows, a track that has a strong sense of tribal magic and ritual to it, with light percussion playing along to a low, deep pad, while higher tones swirl around in the background. It's a deep and dense track filled with beauty and wonder, and it's a personal favorite on this disc.

The later track "Recapitulation" is a shorter piece that begins with a muffled sound as if tones are heard from a distance suggesting isolation and separation. It creates a mood and space very quickly within the course of it's short length, a lonely space in the midst of the rest of the release which leads directly into the next track "Beneath Strange Fire", where tones become clearer and the environment is made more distinct. This one brings to mind a beach of some sort, wind and bonfires littered along the shore, something almost post-apocalyptic, calm yet somehow ominous. Eventually subtle percussion is added, bringing something new to the proceedings, ultimately filling out the track. Truly a great creation of space.

The second half of the disc brings to mind a suite of sorts, a collection of tracks that seem to recount a life from birth through to death. From the womb-like serenity of "Deep Calls Unto Deep" and "The Question", through the pulse and celebration of "The Longing" and the darker and somewhat final sounds of "Answer", these six tracks suggest a timeless organic cycle that really appeals to me, a feeling of order and natural progression. Admittedly I might be completely off the mark on what they're trying to say here, but either way it connects and resonates with me, and really, what better compliment can any artist hope for than to make a connection with their audience? Needless to say, this suite is particularly wonderful work from Olien and Johnson, music that really inspires.

The disc closes out with "Reply", a track that brings the listener full circle to the same environment we were in at the beginning of the disc, the same lush garden space, but now with something more that we've taken from our journey throughout the course of the disc. It's almost as though we've gained something as a result of what we've heard, lessons learned or secrets revealed. Somehow it seems as though the listener is meant to be part of the environment that's been created, we're not only welcome in this lush garden, we're meant to be there. It's a wonderful connection to the music, one that resonates with me even after the last notes of the disc have played.

Olien and Johnson have done a great job of creating an engaging and appealing environment for listeners on this release. Each track seems to create and develop its own space both elegantly and precisely. "The Call" is a tremendously strong release and it's been in constant rotation in my CD player since I got it. Do yourself a favour and check it out, you won't be disappointed. -rik