Still Light by Eternell (Review)

If you’re in the mood for music that works best if you just close your eyes and let it drift you away, then this is for you.
Still Light - Eternell

I only recently discovered the Greek label Sound in Silence, but they’ve been amassing an impressive discography since 2006, thanks to releases by ambient and post-rock luminaries including The Declining Winter, Yellow6, My Autumn Empire, bvdub, and Amp. According to their Bandcamp page, they’ve put out eight releases so far in 2018 alone.

I’ve barely made a dent in the label’s discography, but if I had to describe the Sound in Silence aesthetic based on what I’ve heard so far, I’d have to use words like “contemplative” and “meditative.” And that’s no more obvious than on one of the most recent Sound in Silence releases, Eternell’s Still Light.

Composed of three songs that add up to 70+ minutes of music, Still Light finds Ludvig Cimbrelius combining languid, meandering guitar lines, airy synthesizer textures, and field recordings for a maximally relaxing effect. The best example of this is the aptly titled “Resting on the Surface of a Stream,” which closes the album out with 23 minutes of dreamy, watery ambience.

If you’re looking for music with structure or form, then this is not for you. You might even find Cimbrelius’ staunch resistance to any semblance of structure a bit frustrating. But if you’re in the mood for music that really works best if you just close your eyes and let it drift you away, then Still Light is definitely for you.

Enjoy reading Opus? Want to support my writing? Become a subscriber for just $5/month or $50/year.
Subscribe Today
Return to the Opus homepage