Psycho & Plastic, Brian Eno, Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm
Psycho & Plastic, Brian Eno, Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm

Review: ambient pair Psycho & Plastic share otherworldly album

Image credit: Christoph Neumann with Sascha Boldt

Psycho & Plastic’s newly released album, Phantom Bliss, is as much a state of mind as it is a journey into the badlands of a landscape that the pair created themselves. With its lapping waves and howling winds, their latest single ‘The Ocean Between Us’ is another soundscape we were excited to visit (read our previous feature on ‘Fragile Targets’ here). The rest of the project tells a similar tale.

Stream/ Download: Phantom Bliss LPBandcamp

Sparsely plucked guitars form the focal point of ‘Imago’, a single which marks the beginning of an adventure. As a whole, it feels kaleidoscopic and trippy, immersing us in a colourful palette of psychedelia and striking horizons. With a change of atmosphere, ‘Back And Forth’ is more ominous and foreboding. Piano keys loop, mimicking feelings of absence — It’s as if we are lost in an oasis and walking in circles. The rhythms are sweltering and so entrancing that we cannot help but fall into step behind them.

In stark juxtaposition, ‘Fragile Targets’ tells us we have found our way. A soothing piano plays an ethereal ballad, offering hope. Calm acceptance descends over the composition, adding a sense of resolution that nurtures the conflicted spirit.

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In conversation with Ambient musician, Alaskan Tapes