Highpoint Lowlife have a pretty good track record when it comes to unearthing burgeoning new talent. Alpine. is a guy called Alex Smalley who also works as half of an act called Pausal. His oddly titled debut EP (strung together from the track names or broken up into the track names, depending on which way you look at it) is a collection of miniatures that mix climatic samples, microbeats and lush ambience.
The EP opens with the clinking ice of “Fr:om” which fades into an ambient loop of synth drone and plucked guitar. “Harmed” is a short organ monotone that leads into “Weather”, a piece that seems to be comprised of wind and bird samples, with some faint musical echo in the background. “To stark” has crystalline ringing, fizzing water and ebbing organ drone that gives it a cold and clear atmosphere.
The micro-clicks of “Micro”, the stand-out track, are redolent of the Spring melt, as the power of the sun makes itself felt in the warm ambient tones that loop and fade leaving the clicks and drips to gradually ease themselves into silence. The simple treated piano melody of “Climates” wraps things up in a gentle calm.
Fr:om Harmed Weather To Stark, Micro, Climates is an understated 18 minutes or so. Its charms are subtle, but rewarding. It’s available now as a download only release from Highpoint Lowlife.
Tracks
01 fr:om 3:11
02 harmed 2:01
03 weather 2:28
04 to stark, 4:14
05 micro, 4:52
06 climates 1:59
Websites
highpointlowlife.com
www.myspace.com/alalpine
Pingback: Alpine. reviews - Highpoint Lowlife Records