Sweden-based Joakim Westlund records under the Alpha
Mound moniker, and if we’re going to get a steady trickle of the kind of thing
that he’s recorded on Building Kit,
then I say let climate change have at those glaciers! Metaphorically, of course
– I sort of want whatever’s blocking the Alpha Mound deluge to melt, just so I can
selfishly have more of it. I don’t really want glaciers to melt – that wouldn’t
be good for anybody.
What I do want is more Alpha Mound, please – Building Kit, released on Do You Dream
of Noise?, is the perfect all-terrain soundtrack, the sonic backdrop to
whatever you happen to be doing. Part post-rock, part drifting trance, part
ambient mood adjuster, part synth pad knockout, and ALL AWESOME, Building Kit is like a windswept
kosmische evening carrying the chill of those aforementioned glaciers all the
way to the middle of your living room (or wherever you happen to listen to
tapes). Doesn’t matter if you’re in Fiji, doesn’t matter if you’re in
Mozambique, that cool breeze will cover you. You’ll be powerless to resist its
charms.
A perfect fit on DYDON?, Building Kit hits all the right notes for a gentle yet bracing
experience. Its quiet and contemplative façade is underscored by pulsing
rhythms and overwhelmed often with washes of melody. It’s restrained yet
colorful, a refreshing burst of sound masquerading as light and liquid, a dream
dissolving in constant clouds. I feel like I could eat it, but I probably
shouldn’t. Still, I can’t wait till that flood of Swedish delight hits me – and
it better be soon!
https://alphamound.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/doyoudreamofnoise/