Imagine being teleported away from wherever you are currently to an entirely different plane of existence. What does your mind jump to? Perhaps you visualize this new medium as white empty space, void of anything but a sea of nothingness. On the other hand, maybe you see yourself suspended in outer space with no immediate destination. Follow-up question: what does this new experience sound like to you? In my head, it sounds a lot like the experimental ambiance of Benjamin Finger and James Plotkin.
In my opinion, ambient music possesses a charm that can evoke odd and uncommon emotions. This is absolutely the case for both Benjamin Finger and James Plotkin and their massive approach to atmospheric music. Sometimes, some of the most gorgeous and expressive compositions can come out of a collaboration. While Finger and Plotkin are typically known for their solo creations, they’ve joined forces once again for a new album containing four beautifully crafted ambient masterpieces. Today, Everything Is Noise is pleased to premiere the duo’s latest collaboration, We Carry the Curse, in its entirety!
The album is incredibly dark and introspective but manages to create feelings of tension and amazement. It might seem odd that such contrasting emotions and experiences can be weaved together seamlessly, but the duo demonstrate it flawlessly in the opening track “Aspire to Expire”. There are plenty of moments on We Carry the Curse that feel comforting, but they are soon squashed by immense feelings of despair and emptiness. Finger and Plotkin are masters of conveying fierce emotion without uttering a single lyric. To me, that is what makes instrumental ambient music fantastically intriguing and memorable.
We Carry the Curse will be released on October 30 from Roman Numeral Records, and you can preorder it on Bandcamp here! If you love what you hear and want to hear more, be sure to check out the back catalogs of both Benjamin Finger and James Plotkin. After the successful outcome of this collaboration, I’m hoping that this is not the last time we will hear these two fantastic musicians work together.
