Ambient music is a shield against the world. I often refer to it in
terms of things like warm blankets or amniotic fluids (actually, that’s a new
one, but it fits) or some sort of covering protecting me emotionally from
external forces. It’s a centering tool, a formal way to align my mind and my
outlook so that I can face each new day, and each new awful experience (this is
the year 2020 after all), with a demeanor that promotes not only my own mental
health but that of others – I can project this Zen outward and hopefully
brighten someone else’s day beyond my own.
That’s all because of ambient music, which I’ll admit to listening to a
lot, especially with this important job of writing for Cassette Gods. (I get quite
a few ambient tapes sent my way to listen to and write about – I love it.) And
that’s why Protection by Anthéne is such a “duh” kind of tape –
it makes perfect sense that someone made the connection that I was
subconsciously making and put together an entire album cycle in its honor. Protection acts a “protective” bubble, causing the outer stimulus
to dull and smear into a haze so that it no longer acts as an acute stimulator
of the stress centers of your brain. It follows a narcotizing pattern, smoothing
as it does the brittle sharpness of the edges and lulling you into a sense of
security. Is it false? Doesn’t matter – the outlook changes, and therefore you’re
a force for good.
Protection is like walking barefoot
through the lawn on a summer’s eve, the j-card following my whim here as breeze
interacts with skin. Or is it the other way around – am I swayed by imagery? Either
way, there it is again – that Zen follows and flows, interacting with me and
others. I could close my eyes as I wander, but I don’t think that’s wise out
here in the yard. There are, indeed, trees I could walk into. I guess I’ll just
keep my peepers peeled and incorporate everything into my experience. Protected
from pain and suffering …
Anthéne is Brad
Deschamps.
https://distantbloom.bandcamp.com/
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