Synergy is a tough sell I know because the concept is completely abstract for some, but when I first heard about Mothhunting, I was immediately intrigued and excited by just how this release was described to me; being told that the music and the artwork and how they work together just fits so well is exciting to me (being jaded stinks so do not rain on my parade). Flat out, Mothhunting is one of a bunch of records that I am slowly starting to refer to as “numb records;” and here goes with an explanation for what I am talking about here because that is as vague a term as possible (which is perfect for these types of situations).
Tom Vourtsis fashions an excellent record here with Mothhunting with 5 pieces of shimmering sound and ambient atmospheres that seem hell bent on forcing anyone who listens to feel numb, kind of how like long term lithium users and other life long depression sufferers describe their constant medicated emotional state. If you feel sad, depressed, happy, elated, what have you, Vourtsis’ record will make you go numb and drain most emotion out of your mind and body in the process; now, this might not seem like a record that many people would like to listen to, but it is seriously a tremendous feeling as the smooth synths or organs intone over the quiet rumblings of “Attic Summers”. Time almost literally is forgotten while the blips and reverse sounds skip by amongst atmosphere of “Ghost Doze” (an apt song title if ever I heard or read one), and “Overlookers” would not be out of place on the Moon soundtrack in any way (if that gives you any idea of the numbness Vourtsis creates as this movie can provide a similar feeling). No matter what part of the album that you listen, getting lost in the waves of sound is a very real possibility; and I find this happening to myself very often (so much so that actually reviewing this sucker took a great deal longer than I expected it to), which makes for a great experience.
I know that is a terrible explanation, but hopefully you get the idea of what I mean by Mouthhunting being a numb record because there may not be a better description for what Tom Vourtsis does with this album; in any case, this is an excellent record which I would highly recommend people checking into, particularly if you are a fan of ambient and drone albums.
