until the light was gone
THERE’S A SHOEGAZE-ADJACENT HAZE IN THE WAY SOUNDS OVERLAP AND DIFFUSE, THOUGH THE OVERALL CLARITY REMAINS INTACT. THE RESULT IS A DELICATE BALANCE BETWEEN DETAIL AND DISTANCE, WHERE EACH ELEMENT IS PERCEPTIBLE YET NEVER ISOLATED. EVERY COMPONENT—RHYTHM, MELODY, TEXTURE—FEELS ALIGNED TOWARD A SHARED INTENTION. NOTHING APPEARS EXCESSIVE, AND NOTHING FEELS MISSING. IT’S A COMPOSITION THAT UNDERSTANDS RESTRAINT, ALLOWING SPACE TO BECOME AS MEANINGFUL AS SOUND. - PARKETT
WHEN IT'S NOT WASHING YOU AWAY ON A FLOATY WARM RIVER OF SOUND, IT CATCHES YOU WITH LIGHTLY TOE-TAPPING RHYTHMS AND HUMMABLE MELODIES…IT'S GOT THAT LEVEL OF COMFORT, OF EASE, OF PURE ENVIRONMENTAL MELTY-NESS. YOU JUST SIT BACK AND LET IT DO ITS THING. - HYPNAGOGUE
A STUNNING ACHIEVEMENT IN AMBIENT STORYTELLING…IT IS CLEAR THAT EATON AND DOWNES ARE FOLLOWING A SINGULAR, SHARED MUSE, CREATING A SEAMLESS MUSICAL TAPESTRY THAT DEMANDS TO BE HEARD AGAIN AND AGAIN. - AMBIENT VISIONS
EVERYTHING FEELS SHAPED BY AN ALMOST NARRATIVE COHERENCE, AS IF EVERY SONIC DECISION RESPONDS TO THE SAME INTERNAL PULSE. FROM THE TREATMENT OF SPACE TO THE HANDLING OF SILENCE, PASSING THROUGH MELODIES THAT ACHIEVE A DELICATE BALANCE BETWEEN THE ETHEREAL AND THE TANGIBLE. - CYCLICAL MAGAZINE
weathering
WE’RE USED TO CONFESSIONAL SINGER-SONGWRITERS SHARING THEIR DEEPEST PROBLEMS IN WORDS. TOM EATON DOES IT MUCH MORE SUBTLY AND EFFECTIVELY WITH INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC. WEATHERING S HIS EMOTIONALLY RESONANT EXPRESSION OF THE STRUGGLES, REALIZATIONS, AND HARD-WON SATISFACTIONS OF MID-LIFE. - STEPHEN HILL, HEARTS OF SPACE
LUSHLY AND INTRICATELY PRODUCED, BEAUTIFULLY MEDITATIVE AND HIGHLY VULNERABLE…EATON REVEALS HIMSELF TO BE AN INCREDIBLE STORYTELLER. - THE JW VIBE
THE REAL BEAUTY OF WEATHERING STEMS FROM HOW EATON’S TRANSLATION OF HIS PERSONAL STORY BECOMES A UNIVERSAL KEY TO OUR EMOTIONS. EACH PIECE IS LIKELY TO OPEN SOME SPECIFIC DOOR (OR SEVERAL) WITHIN ITS LISTENERS, RELATED TO THEIR OWN TRAVAILS AND TRIUMPHS, MAKING US FEEL THIS MUSIC VERY VISCERALLY AND INDIVIDUALLY. WEATHERING IS EASILY ONE OF THE BEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL ALBUMS I’VE HEARD THIS YEAR. - JOHN SHANAHAN, HYPNAGOGUE
THE GHOSTLY ATMOSPHERIC EFFECT HERE IS RIVETING…COMPELLING, LUSH PIANO-DRIVEN ARRANGEMENTS ALONGSIDE GLISTENING INSTRUMENTATION. - OBSCURE SOUND
A POWERFUL COLLECTION OF BEAUTIFULLY ARRANGED PIECES. - EXPOSE
WHETHER YOU AGREE WITH MY DEFINITION (OF A SUPERGROUP) OR NOT, THERE’S NO DENYING THAT THE WORD "SUPER" CAN BE APPLIED TO THE ALBUM FROM JEFF OSTER, VIN DOWNES, AND TOM EATON: SEVEN CONVERSATIONS. ONE COULD HAVE THIS AMAZING ALBUM ON REPEAT AND HAVE ONE'S DAY PASS IN A BLISSED STATE OF, DARE I SAY IT, UTTERLY BEAUTIFUL RELAXATION. AND HERE'S THE REAL KICKER, THE ENTIRE ALBUM WAS RECORDED IN REAL TIME. YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT. THESE ARE ALL IMPROVISATIONS! I MEAN…. ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? AS I WROTE EARLIER…IT'S KINDA GENIUS! - WIND AND WIRE
THERE ARE FEW GROUPS IN THE AMBIENT ARENA WHO STAND THE TEST OF TIME... THIS TRIO IS ONE OF THEM... I GIVE JEFF, VIN AND TOM A MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RATING, WITH A PERFECT ENERGY QUOTIENT SCORE OF 5.0. THAT MEANS THAT THEY GET A “PICK” FROM ME FOR “BEST AMBIENT RELEASE. - CONTEMPORARY FUSION REVIEWS
SEVEN CONVERSATIONS MAKES FOR A MAJESTIC AND MIND-OPENING COLLECTION OF PIECES THAT GENERATE FURTHER INTEREST WITH EACH SUBSEQUENT PLAY. - EXPOSE
THESE THREE ARTISTS (OSTER, DOWNES, EATON) HAVE BEEN DOING WHAT THEY DO FOR SUCH A LONG TIME BECAUSE THEY LOVE THE MUSIC. SEVEN CONVERSATIONS IS A THINKING PERSON’S MUSIC. YOU PUT THIS ON AND YOU LOSE TRACK OF TIME. YOU PONDER. BUT MOST OF ALL, YOU ESCAPE. THIS IS GREAT MUSIC DOING ITS JOB. - ARTISAN MUSIC REVIEWS
how it happened
IT'S LUSH, SHADOWED, EMOTIONAL MUSIC THAT'S RICH IN HARMONIES AND OCEANIC LAYERS AND IT'S ALL SO DELICIOUSLY SLOW. THIS IS THE STRONGEST RELEASE OF NEW MUSIC FROM SPOTTED PECCARY THIS YEAR. - AMBIENT MUSIC GUIDE
EATON'S EIGHT SONG, 70-MINUTE MASTERWORK (HIS FIRST FOR THE LEGENDARY SPOTTED PECCARY LABEL) IS ALL AT ONCE GLORIOUS AND SUBTLE, AN ILLUMINATING YET DEEPLY MYSTERIOUS MEDITATIONAL DREAMSCAPE OF NEVER-ENDING INTRIGUE. - THE JW VIBE
THROUGHOUT THESE EIGHT TRACKS VERY LITTLE SEEMS REPETITIVE OR SEQUENCED, EVERY SOUND DRIFTING EFFORTLESSLY, FLOATING INTO THE NEXT THROUGH A NATURAL PROCESS. EATON HAS CAPTURED A VERY SPECIAL FEELING WITHIN THESE EIGHT COMPOSITIONS, AND HIS ARTICULATE ARRANGEMENTS HAVE TRULY BROUGHT THEM TO FULL BLOOM. - EXPOSE
AN ATMOSPHERE OF SHIMMERING BEAUTY AND PEACEFUL REFLECTION. - MAINLY PIANO
HOW IT HAPPENED WILL PULL YOU IN, FINDING MEMORIES TO CALL FORTH, UNLOCKING HEARTFELT RESPONSES THAT COULD ONLY SURFACE UNDER THE SOFT AND CERTAIN TOUCH OF SUCH MASTERFULLY CRAFTED MUSICAL TRUTH. - HYPNAGOGUE
brothers
EVEN WITH THE STRATOSPHERIC PEDIGREE OF THESE THREE MUSICIANS – WILL ACKERMAN, JEFF OSTER, AND TOM EATON – AND THE EXPECTATIONS I HELD AS A RESULT, BROTHERS STILL STOPPED ME IN MY PROVERBIAL TRACKS DURING MY FIRST PLAYING. THE ALBUM’S EIGHT SONGS FLOW FORTH LIKE A GENTLE BREEZE ON A WARM DAY, CARRYING RELIEF IN EVERY NOTE, BUT IN THIS CASE, THE RELIEF IS A PALPABLE EASING OF STRESS, A WAVE OF GORGEOUS MELODIES EASING THE LISTENER GENTLY INTO A STATE OF UTTER PEACE AND RELAXATION. - WIND AND WIRE
STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART OF THREE MUSICAL LEGENDS COLLABORATING AS “ONE,” BROTHERS IS THE TENDER, TOUCHING, AND PROFOUNDLY POIGNANT ALBUM FROM WILL ACKERMAN, JEFF OSTER, AND TOM EATON. EACH AND EVERY TRACK WILL REMAIN ETCHED DEEPLY INTO YOUR SOUL LONG AFTER THE MUSIC STOPS. - NEW AGE NOTES
WILL ACKERMAN PLAYS GUITAR, WITH JEFF OSTER DOING FLUGELHORN/TRUMPET AND TOM EATON ON PIANO, KEYBOARDS AND BASS… YOU’LL HEAR THEIR LOVE OF PLAYING TOGETHER AND CLEAR MASTERY OF THEIR INSTRUMENTS AS YOU LISTEN TO THE AMAZING “WHILE THERE’S TIME”… I HAVE NEVER HEARD BETTER “PACING“, AND THE RECORDING IS PURE AND FLAWLESS. - CONTEMPORARY FUSION REVIEWS
IT’S RELATIVELY EASY TO MAKE REPOSEFUL MUSIC THESE DAYS USING ELECTRONIC WIZARDRY BUT IT’S STILL NOT THE SAME AS HANDMADE MUSIC. ACKERMAN, OSTER AND EATON DRIVE THAT POINT HOME TRACK AFTER TRACK WITH THE HUMAN TOUCH OF ACOUSTIC GUITARS, PIANO AND A COURTLY TRUMPET OR FLUGELHORN. EATON IS THE GLUE THAT BRINGS EVERYTHING TOGETHER INTO A WELL-PUREED WHOLE. WHETHER HE’S ON PIANO, ELECTRIC PIANO OR GENTLE SYNTH WASHES, HE KNOWS HOW TO FILL IN WHATEVER IS LEFT BEHIND BY ACKERMAN AND OSTER. - SOMETHING ELSE REVIEWS
abendromen
A PIANO SOUND TO LUST AFTER, IMMERSED IN A SUGGESTIVE, GAUZY WORLD OF BEAUTIFULLY WROUGHT ELECTRONICS AND GUITAR LOOPS. - TIM STORY
THE MUSIC OF ABENDROMEN HAS A REFRESHING EFFECT. IT PURIFIES THE SOUL AND CONSOLES THE MIND. IT RELEASES HIDDEN EMOTIONS AND GIVES YOU EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITIES TO BE CONSCIOUS OF YOUR CHERISHED DREAMS.THE COMPOSITIONS OF THE ALBUM SEND A POWERFUL CREATIVE IMPULSE TO THE LISTENER AND YOU CANNOT BE INDIFFERENT WHEN YOU HEAR SUCH EXPRESSIVE MUSIC. - SERGE KOSLOVSKY
EVERY SONG IS AN EXQUISITE EXAMPLE OF SONIC ARCHITECTURE, PERFECTLY COMPOSED, ARRANGED, AND PERFORMED. I REALLY CAN’T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT TOM’S ABILITY AS AN ARRANGER AND SOUND DESIGNER, WITH THE WAY HE IS ABLE TO WEAVE HIS ELECTRONIC TEXTURES AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS INTO SUCH SUPERB SOUNDSCAPES – TRULY STELLAR IN EVERY WAY. - MUSIC AND MEDIA FOCUS
ABENDROMEN IS WITHOUT A DOUBT ONE OF THE MOST GORGEOUS ALBUMS I’VE HEARD IN A LONG TIME. MUSICALLY, IT CONVEYS THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS THAT COULD NEVER BE ACCURATELY EXPRESSED WITH WORDS WHILE RETAINING A HAUNTING QUALITY OF OBSCURITY. EATON HAS CRAFTED A MASTERPIECE OF THE HIGHEST CALIBER THAT HAS ALREADY BECOME A PERSONAL FAVORITE AND WILL CERTAINLY BE HARD TO TOP AMONG THIS YEAR’S BEST RECORDINGS. - JOURNEYSCAPES