IKSRE & anthéne: Seasons Shifting
Polar Seas
A musical rapport established itself quickly when anthéne (Brad Deschamps) and IKSRE (Phoebe Dubar aka I Keep Seeing Rainbows Everywhere) collaborated on two Ambientologist tracks in 2022. Once upon a time, the immense distance separating their home bases—his in Toronto, hers Melbourne—would have made connecting a challenge; today, of course, file swapping and online interfacing make collaborating easy, the different time zones notwithstanding. The seasons are reversed in their respective locations, too, with her summer his winter and vice-versa, which explains in part their choice of title. Other, more meaningful changes are suggested by it, however, in her case involving a mother diagnosed with cancer at the project's outset (now in remission, apparently) and in his a daughter starting school for the first time—seasons shifting indeed.
No instrumentation-related details are provided for the release, nor any clarification as to who did what to produce the material. That's hardly the first time, though, an ambient-electronic artist has chosen to let the music do the talking. And talk these eight captivating tracks do, especially when her lustrous voice couples with his electronic textures and instrument sounds. Vocals, whether layered into wordless choruses or intoning in a gentle hush, add hugely to the music's identity and impact.
“Solstice” initiates the set with five meticulously sculpted minutes, with shimmering keyboard washes and guitar flickers warmed by Dubar's transfixing vocal layers, which blossom angelically as they ebb and flow. That serene opener acts as something of a template for what follows, and Seasons Shifting is all the better for it. “Lungs” likewise flowers slowly, its unfolding grounded in dreamy vocalizations, symphonic flourishes, and the faint pluck of a kalimba. A darker side to the album arises in “Horae,” Dubar here appearing as a ghostly visitation and the portent-filled music suggesting a city at 3 a.m., at rest but not entirely asleep. Night's intimated by “Walk, Then Fly” also, in this case by the hypnotic hum of crickets and the slow-motion swirl and swell of guitar shadings, vocals, and electronics.
There's slow-burn aplenty on the album, from “Falling Stars” and the celestial title track to “Remission,” which in its hymnal character could be seen to convey gratitude for the upward turn life sometimes takes. Close listening is recommended to fully appreciate the care with which the two have crafted the material. Every moment reflects fastidious attention to detail by the creators, the result a rich, immersive tapestry. Theirs is a collaboration very much worth continuing.October 2023