herbarium by mayforest

There are the stretched notes and synth pads, as you come to expect from an album that comes with the ambient tag. but there´s a new sense of exploration, starting with the instrumentation (accordion, bells, etc.). some songs are just short melodies, others are based on intermingling patterns and there are also „classic“ ambient tracks. the song lengths reflect this: 12 tracks in under 40 minutes, from under two to almost seven minutes (only). each song also transports its own sense of space, ranging from a piano room to widescreen landscapes.

the cover shows a photo by munich-based photographer martin friedrich. and I love the colours, the contrast and what it actually shows – forests, bushes, I like this nature stuff. but it´s the way it overlaps with the music that made me ask if I could use it as the cover for this new album: similar elements that almost become impenetrable when intertwined. while there´s an element of simplicity to it. And the mood is thoughtful but not heavy.

so it`s ambient again, or maybe: electronic ambient or however you want to call it. but the songs are quite diverse. it´s a collection of ideas and approaches, gathered within the last year. (yes, that´s what the title refers to). it almost requires to be listened to like a a pop record. I like that. an album.

„Nun schaukelt Christian Maiwald einen mit so guten Titeln wie „another day (alive)“ hin und her zwischen häuslichen Momenten („domestic scene...“) und Outdoor-Grün („phototropism“). Zwischen schwingenden und getupften oder angeschlagenen Drones und instrumentalen Klängen – einem in Heidekraut schwelgendem Akkordeon („fifth of blifth“), orchestralen Schwaden („macroscope“), glockenden Kaskaden über dröhnenden Wellen („anagramemories“), melodischer, orgeliger Tristesse von Keys („lens flare“, „dust, unsettled“). Mit einer Hecke in voller Blüte auf dem Cover und ökologischem Bewusstsein („biodegradable“ – biologisch abbaubar) und damit eher environmental als ambient. Mit „woknaffl“ als Hepax legomenon, als einmaligem Wort. Doch daneben ist alles ambig, schwankend zwischen Wohlgefühl und Melancholie. Und Melancholie als Wohlgefühl.“ – Bad Alchemy

a kind of ambient music from a guy living in szczecin

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