A Troubled Resting Place

As its title implies, this unified collection of tracks from lesser-known electronic and experimental compilations (like Throne of Drones and Twilight Earth II) finds Rich in some of his darkest moods. Unlike more rhythm-oriented albums like Rainforest and Propagation, this collection of six Rich compositions journeys through a thick musical ether which seems like it could seep out of your speakers and enshroud your room. Despite the presence of gongs, bells, drums, and steel guitar amidst the synths, the overall feel of these compositions is very spacy. Even the percussive sounds that gradually perforate the dense aural fog of "Bioelectric Plasma" ultimately remain ensnared within the track's overwhelming ethereality. The standout cut is "Black Skies," whose intense bursts of dissonant noise over a bed of delicate drones seem to herald doomsday. This seamless, frequently psychedelic collection of electro-acoustic soundscapes is quite gripping and dramatic. --Bryan Reesman