Bedroom pop auteur Ryan Pollie is back with a bold and adventurous musical experiment. Side-stepping his usually twangy, dreamlike aesthetic, the L.A. songwriter’s latest project marks a foray into the ambient realm. Museum at the End of Time, released through eccentric independent label Perpetual Doom, is a collection of entrancing soundscapes designed to alleviate anxiety. Teaming up with video synthesis artists Nicole and Paul Pichon, the album is accompanied by a film of kaleidoscopic colors and configurations that simultaneously bloom and dissolve into each other to the tune of Pollie’s soothing sonic revelations.
The twinkling melodies on “The Beginning And The End” open up the portal into the album’s pavilion of sound. The moments of stillness between chimes and fluctuating synthesizers induce a state of calmness and clarity much like the pause that precedes a deep exhale. “Strange Beings of Greenwater” further develops the meditative mood, in which the soft static and languid keyboard strokes lend the composition a floating quality. The way these songs make use of the space in each instrumental naturally permits a relaxing feeling to set in. Such is also true for the elemental balladry of “On Time And Darkness,” where the revolving ambiance allows any remaining tension to become completely weightless.
Many forms of ambient music draw their cue from an environment. In this case, the environment is that of the human mind. Museum at the End of Time is an antidote to the anxious internal state created by the chaotic nature of our day-to-day lives and a guide in finding the path to tranquility.
Stream and purchase Ryan Pollie’s new album Museum At The End of Time out now via Perpetual Doom.
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