Water Sine is a gorgeous celebration of life’s little moments.
LISTEN:
The sun is out, birds are singing, and nothing says springtime like a beautiful ambient album from Montreal producer Nick Schofield. Water Sine follows in the footsteps of genre pioneers Hiroshi Yoshimura and Brian Eno, with immaculately crafted soundscapes expertly blended with field recordings.
Opener “Sky or Wall” combines gentle, lush synthesizer work with soothing waterfall cascades. “Pale Blue Dot” puts you right in the heart of a cherry blossom orchard in full bloom with the bubbling sounds of a koi pond nearby. “Isle of Skye” transports you to a land above the clouds, conveying a sense of wonder and grand majesty in its composition. Many tracks use these types of motifs to spectacular results, but it’s the subtle, shifting changes in aural scenery that elevate Water Sine to stratospheric heights.
Hints of rainy days shine through “Underpass”, the mammoth-sounding “Schönefeld”, and closer “Kibale Park”. These songs all dabble in minor-key arrangements that perfectly capture the changes in one’s mental state as downpours wax and wane on a particularly dreary morning. Water Sine is a wonderful example of how ambient music can appeal to the kid in us. It reflects a simple and explorative view of its surroundings. Schofield takes that premise and runs with it, creating some breathtaking compositions. During a rather complex period of time for me personally, they provided some true healing strength.
Water Sine is a gorgeous celebration of life’s little moments; it’s full of serenity, vibrant synthesizers, and a pervading sense of calm that I didn’t know I needed in my life until now. I have heard the water sine, and it will, indeed, open up your ears and eyes to the beauty of the world around you.
