Celer’s torrent of releases seems to have slowed to a trickle of late, but it’s no surprise to see Will Long back on my review pile this week with another newie. This is one of two CDs out this week on Spekk which come in beautiful book-like oversized card sleeves. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that the disc itself contains beautiful understated ambient drones.

There’s only one track on here, but it’s long and it’s droney, full of subtle deep space synthesis and that drifts forward on shuddering modulated chords. It’s airy and minimal but also a little dark and unsettling, with occasional distant disembodied voices and subtly discordant swells of half-melody. It unfolds gradually into a mournful rhythmic quiver that drones on for a very long time. If you like drones, and you like Celer, you’ll probably find it very enjoyable.

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The second release is from the increasingly less prolific Celer is the single piece Zigzag that has a different, developed approach to Will Long’s penchant for ambient space.  The most overt difference that is immediately noticeable is that rather than expansive drones, he instead works in the context of a rhythmic bounce dynamic, leading me to believe that the title could possibly be a reference to the waveform view of the piece or the amplification used in the final mix.

Beyond that, the other striking difference is a heavier use of layering and differing tones and textures throughout the 48 minute duration.  The shifting tonal qualities and rhythmic feel adds to this, and even though the dynamics keep things pretty quiet, it never drifts off into the background like similarly sparse, minimalist recordings often do.

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