Lawrence English Kiri No Oto

• Words: Tim Saputo
• Label: Touch
• XLR8R Rating: 8/10

With Kiri No Oto Room40 label boss Lawrence English presents his densest ambient work to date. The somewhat stately micro-sound strains of his previous work have been infused with howling distortion, organ-based melodic washes, and a thick gauzy haze. Roughly translated from Japanese, the title Kiri No Oto (“sound of fog”) fits the album perfectly. At times it's tastefully reminiscent of Popul Vuh, while coating your brain like Tim Hecker’s ambient-metal epics. Kiri No Oto is wonderfully immersive, and as the album unfolds, English’s grip tightens, pulling you deeper into the fog. A great piece of subconscious architecture.