Hyperborea 'Associations Of Time' CASSETTE/DIGITAL

(Cassette comes with instant free digital download)

Hyperborea is Melbourne's erudite prog auteur James Tom. Tom is perhaps most noted recently as the figurehead and synth/keyboardist of Krakatau (Trouble In Mind, Growing Bin), whose stunning debut LP 'Water Near A Bridge' on Trouble In Mind cut deep into the (sub)consciousness of critics and fans alike with its stillness and restraint, peacefully purposeful at the heart of its dewy construction. As Hyperborea, Tom focuses more closely on synth arrangements, textures and instrument voicings as a centerpiece as opposed to the bass/drums/synth trio core of Krakatau. Following on from a short split release with Straylight on Airline Tapes, 'Associations Of Time' offers a satisfying tide of lush densities and contemplative travelogues within which time overlaps itself or indeed stops altogether, suspended in air. Care is taken in every detail and choice behind each synth tone, peripheral atmosphere and the delicately dynamic mix itself. Tones lightly bounce and intermingle with bio-elasticity at certain moments and carve out deeply meditative lines throughout others, creating a mournful, gently inward-bound trip through the verdant backwoods of a collected memory.