Hello, everyone! So, today, instead of a normal mini review post, I’m just reviewing seven instrumental ambient albums. I wasn’t planning on doing another post like this anytime soon where I just review albums in one genre, but I’ve really been wanting to get ahead of schedule with my reviews, and these albums are much easier to review than the average album. And hey, hopefully I’ll find some great albums while doing so … but I guess the only way to find out is to keep reading!

Anyway, as always these are just my personal feelings on these albums. And like my previous mini review post, I’m going to keep these pretty brief. I’m hoping for my next few mini review posts I’ll be able to go into more detail, but we’ll see. Anyway, let’s start the reviews with:

starsdust by Runnner:

This album is twelve tracks long but under half an hour, and I think it’s a mostly calming listen with production that I mostly like.

The crisp percussion sounds nice, the synth layering has some nice texture to it, and there are some good instrumental melodies.

Now with all this being said, to me it does blend in with a lot of music in this style, and thus I don’t think I’m going to go back to it much, but it’s still a mostly enjoyable listen while it’s on.

There are a lot of subtle details that I think add quite a bit, and while there are definitely moments I find boring, I think it’s a mildly enjoyable album for the most part, so I’ll give it a 6/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “two”, “four”, “five”, “ten”, “eleven”
Least Favourite Track: “six”

Fractal Light by Thaniel Ion Lee:

This ambient album is only one track, and it’s under twenty minutes long … and it feels kind of like it’s building up to some really huge moment where it’s all going to explode into a noisy mess … and that doesn’t happen.

And I actually think that’s quite fitting, creating a suspenseful listening experience in which the lack of a huge moment anywhere could potentially represent something thematically … and, of course, I might be overthinking this, but I do find it fascinating.

But with that being said, I’m not in love with this album, and I do wish I found more subtle details in it. As it is, I’m left feeling like it’s a decent album that feels close to being great but doesn’t really get there for me. I just find it a lot more boring than I’d like.

So, I guess I’ll give it a 6/10. Not a bad album, but also not one that really wowed me. Still, though, I think it’s worth hearing.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: N/A
Least Favourite Tracks: N/A

God Bless Jonathan Walsh by melancholia blue:

Here’s a very short album that was released in early February, and it’s quite a calming listen that I really like!

I love how this album just washes over you, with lots of subtle details really adding so much to this experience. I mean, it’s not an album that gives me a ton to say, and it doesn’t feel experimental enough that I think it’ll be among the top tier of albums for me this year, but it is quite comforting and beautiful at a lot of moments.

It’s hard to describe with words, and I think you’ll have to hear it to really understand … but it’s got this feeling of calmness despite all the chaos of the world, and it feels quite magical to me.

And when the atmosphere is this strong with such great synth timbres … well, I guess I’ll give it an 8/10. This is a pretty great album if you ask me.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 8/10
Favourite Tracks: “Frown”, “Perspective”, “Drowsy”, “Disinfectant”
Least Favourite Track: “Solace”

To Cover Up the Red Tinted Patches by Lurking:

This is the debut studio album from an artist I’d never heard of until this year. It was released on January 1st, and I just recently listened to it …

And I kind of like the eerie vibes of it, with some slightly staticky sounds and the feeling of suspense throughout a lot of this album.

But unfortunately I just don’t think there’s much beyond that that’s going to make me want to go back to this album. It’s got some nice atmosphere that fits the sort of spooky vibes, especially on the second of the two tracks here, but I wish there was a bit more variety … or maybe that’s not even it, but something feels missing here.

It’s a pretty short listen (under twenty minutes) and I’d recommend it to fans of ambient music if you’re looking for something eerie with a lot of subtle details, but I can’t say it really clicked for me, which is why I’m giving it a 6/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Track: “To Cover Up the Red Tinted Patches II”
Least Favourite Track: “To Cover Up the Red Tinted Patches I”

Beyond The Old Growth by Forsaken Kingdoms:

This is a half-hour long ambient drone album by another artist I’d never heard of until recently.

And this album doesn’t really give me much to say. I mean, it’s kind of eerie, but also kind of soothing, with some nice atmosphere that brings to mind images of fog in a forest (and I don’t even think this is due to the album cover). But overall … well, it’s an ambient drone album. There’s not much for me to say about it. That’s not to say this genre never has albums that I could say a lot about, but it’s rare.

I mean, I guess I could try to explain how it makes me feel … but even that is hard to describe. I do like this album, but that doesn’t mean I find it super interesting.

I know this is kind of a bit of a non-review, but I do mostly like this, and I’ll give it a 7/10. The watery timbre of the second track sounds really nice, and I can’t really find any notable flaws in this. I just wish it did a little more for me.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Track: “Endless Winter Game Trails”
Least Favourite Track: “Windswept Shadows Beneath Winter”

Broe by Elijah Rah:

So, this album is quite experimental and also very short, and while I can respect the creativity of it, it can often get quite annoying, especially with that super noisy section in the first track.

That’s not to say there aren’t moments that I like here—at points I like the atmosphere in the second track—but overall this just didn’t do a whole lot for me.

Again, it’s creative and experimental, but I just wish the ideas felt like they fit together more.

And thus, while I’d recommend it to someone looking for some experimental ambient music, it’s not for me at all, so I’m giving this a 5/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Track: “The Bro Church”
Least Favourite Track: “Two Bros Kissing”

Ancient Gods by Cauldron 80:

So, this is quite a melodic ambient album, full of buzzing synths, and I can’t really say it’s clicking for me.

Something about the rough synth timbres just doesn’t really work for me, and I don’t find the melodies particularly catchy or memorable.

I do sometimes like the way the higher and lower frequency sounds go together here, but for the most part this album just fell flat for me.

I can kind of see the appeal of this album, but it’s not my cup of tea. So I’m giving it a light 5.5/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “The Grimoire Of Wolves”, “Seasons Of Man”
Least Favourite Track: “Fire At Midnight”