3.5

Release data:

Michael Thomas Berkley – Arctic
CD, Numinous Records, 2000

This is the second cd by Mr Berkley, who’s debut album “Images from Earth” impressed me a lot.
“Arctic” is a concept album inspired by the Canadian Ellesmere islands, and consists of highly cinematic music describing these remote plains.

There are eleven tracks, including “Ellesmere Island pt I-IV”, which offers some remarkable music which actually paints images of a frozen landscape of peculiar beauty and isolation.

The used piano sounds vaguely remind of Eno/Budd/Brooke, but the overall music also hails back to the output on his debut album.
Berkley’s musical approach is adventurous, as he melts various spheres and layers together in which nice expanding electronic soundscapes fuse with world rhythms, clarinet, distorted guitar and violin.

All in all, “Artic” is an impressionistic piece of music and abstract sound design which reflects the cold through the music.