AMN Reviews: Nimh & Rapoon – Post-Folk Lore Vol. 1 (2020; Winter-Light)

Nimh (Giuseppe Verticchio) and Rapoon (Robin Storey) come together for the first time on this unusual ethno-ambient offering. While not exactly in line with the dark ambient sub-genre, Post-Folk Lore Vol. 1 does provide its share of darkness across four tracks, each in the 13-19 minute range.

Verticchio and Storey employ a variety of acoustic and electric instruments, including various types of woodwinds, pipes, and bells along with guitars, synths, found objects, sculpted noise, and voices. These components are distorted, looped, and otherwise manipulated. The result is a set of spacious soundscapes that are more than just layered washes. Pastoral echoing synth chords evolve to become cacophonous and menacing. Polyrhythmic beats are often subtle beneath waves of drones or fractured pieces of Middle-Eastern motifs. These pieces can be dense and information-rich as well as less demanding; but unlike much ambient, they are never relaxing. And some passages are just plain strange.

Post-Folk Lore Vol. 1 comes highly recommended for anyone looking for a suitable soundtrack to the dark times of early 2020. But even in the eventual post-pandemic era that will follow the upheaval we are experiencing today, this album will have much to offer and unpack.