Ancient Ocean

Ancient Ocean: Blood Moon [Vinyl LP]

Ancient Ocean: Blood Moon [CD]

Ambitious, grand and by any measure, beautiful; it’s tempting to simply and sincerely soak in the atmosphere of “Titan’s Island,” the second full-length album from Ancient Ocean, the long running ambient project of NYC-via-Kentucky resident J.R. Bohannon. The album unearths the intense process mending the worlds of modern classical, expansive sound art, minimalism, and the usual micro-guitar and synth exploration we’ve come to expect from Bohannon. The four songs that make up the album may be better understood as movements, although no matter the definition, their impact is more than the sum of the distinctions. The compositional range of the album is appropriately massive, and occasionally overwhelming (and this is meant purely as a compliment), in a way that’s not just representative of previous Ancient Ocean releases, but emblematic of Bohannon’s emerging, evolving excellence.

Ambitious, grand and by any measure, beautiful; it’s tempting to simply and sincerely soak in the atmosphere of “Titan’s Island,” the second full-length album from Ancient Ocean, the long running ambient project of NYC-via-Kentucky resident J.R. Bohannon. The album unearths the intense process mending the worlds of modern classical, expansive sound art, minimalism, and the usual micro-guitar and synth exploration we’ve come to expect from Bohannon. The four songs that make up the album may be better understood as movements, although no matter the definition, their impact is more than the sum of the distinctions. The compositional range of the album is appropriately massive, and occasionally overwhelming (and this is meant purely as a compliment), in a way that’s not just representative of previous Ancient Ocean releases, but emblematic of Bohannon’s emerging, evolving excellence.