Near the Parenthesis

Music For The Forest Concourse is a cushy, warm collection of subtly glitchy, expansive ambient. In his fourth release, Near Parenthesis (aka San Francisco, CA-based producer Tim Arndt) plies melodic keys through both calming and stirring atmospherics. The digitally enhanced organic vibes and emotive soundscape, replete with plenty of whirring synth-grain and glitch, envelope haunting piano sonnets as each track swells and crests with an oceanic quality. Reminiscent of label-mates AIM or Loess, Near Parenthesis is less cinematic than the former and less experimental than the later, but can still lay claim to a unique balance of intensity and fragility. Bolder than background music and not entirely beat-less, Music For The Forest Concourse frees the term "gripping ambient" from any oxymoronic notions.