I’ve never been surprised to hear “ah”s when I answer people’s question of what kind of music I like. Gratefully, most, at least, tell me that they think they’ve heard of Radiohead.
For me, it’s been a rather lonely pursuit of discovering new music online, wondering who and where these people who have similar tastes as me are, – those who leave poetic comments on YouTube just to tell how magical a song is.
Anyway, I’ve gotten into ambient music recently due to sleep deprivation, and so far it has helped me doze off before a whole 50-minute album is over. I’ve decided to label such albums, “good sleepytime”. Two of these were by a group called A Winged Victory For The Sullen.
Last week I went to see them live for the first time in Square Ebara near Shinagawa. The Belgian ambient duo (accompanied by a string orchestra) has performed mostly all over Europe, including the popular Boiler Room in London.
On the way to the concert, I had a strong feeling I would definitely fall into the small group of early 20s, and my assumptions were right. I personally don’t know anyone who listens to ambient music on their own will, as it seemed everyone was into Kanye. But there were also more people than I expected, filling up most seats in the concert hall. In the end, it was a beautifully cathartic 80 minutes of daydreaming.
A Winged Victory For The Sullen is project started by composer / sound engineer Adam Wiltzie and pianist Dustin O’Halloran, the latter particularly renowned for scoring for films such as “Stranger Than Fiction”, “Marie Antoinette”, and every romcom fans’ essential “Like Crazy”. Wiltzie is considered an important figure in drone and ambient music, founding other remembered ambient projects such as Stars of the Lid.
“Requiem for the Static King, Part Two” will hit home to fans of classical music, but the two genres have subtle differences. Ambient has more an atmospheric and visual sense to it. And is, ironically, more electronic.
Yet, their self-titled album and Atomos instill the listeners with a sense of inner peace and enable the mind to wander, nowhere in particular.
Listen to their latest album here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXTlFx5z9_c&list=PLESQxfE6Z-wpSUECVDVsntZ_A33Z3nlqQ