CD, Bugs Crawling Out Of People/Sabbathid Records/Regimental Records/Basilisk Productions, 2007
www.myspace.com/objekt4
Active as Objekt4 since 2003, Anders Peterson has been, if nothing else, highly prolific as is attested by a somewhat extensive discography. One of the latest chapters in the history of this Swedish sound artist is the full-length release “Shades Of Night”, co-released between no less than four different labels/organizations.
A new chapter but not necessarily a departure from previous Objekt4 offerings, “Shades Of Night” is a collection of moody soundscapes which can be roughly described as being somewhere between pure ambient music and a soundtrack. Subtle and focus-inducing, Objekt4’s deeply immersive compositions seem to drag the willing listener into a cold fog-filled desolation, pierced by eerie sounds of faraway strange activity, evocative of feelings of resignation and a vague sense of dread but, simultaneously, of final peace. Though lacking any sort of rhythmical structure or melody but skilfully composed using essentially processed field recordings and the odd instrumental element (a guitar chord here, a bell there), “Shades Of Night” comes across as the dark side of a meditation tape or, perhaps, even as an aural opiate.
A couple of minor flaws with this release though… Firstly, tracks 1 and 3 (“Dawn (Intro)” and “A Fire On The Other Side”) don’t seem to flow as well as they could between the rest. Secondly, being somewhat addictive after a couple of attentive listens, clocking at 56 minutes, it doesn’t seem to last long enough and the ending could perhaps be even less abrupt.
Despite needing the listener’s attention, “Shades Of Night” is not by any means hard to get into. Appreciators of cold atmospheric electronics will be right at home with this release as will be anyone with an active imagination who will just sit back, relax and let himself be carried away by the ambiances contained within.
[8.5/10]
— Miguel de Sousa