Even though this is his debut solo album, the multi-instrumentalist and visual artist Eric Angelo Bessel is certainly not a new name in the world of independent music. Now four albums deep with his band Lore City, which includes his wife Laura Mariposa Williams, his first solo LP thankfully carries a similar abstract and unpredictable spirit.
The eight-track instrumental listen wastes no time drawing the listener in with the ambient dreaminess of “Sunken Prism,” which carries a backdrop that resembles water moving in another dimension, as the careful Mellotron emits waves of unique beauty.
“A Tap On The Shoulder” follows with a brighter tone that’s a bit mysterious and subtly melodic, while “Hoax” flows with ebowed guitars amid a very chilling cinematic quality that’s powerful and cathartic.
The middle tracks belong to “Secret Lake” and “It’s So Far Away.” The former is quite hypnotic, a little eerie, maybe even a bit spiritual in an atypical fashion, and the latter buzzes with a radiant presence of meditative sensibilities.
Further still, “Less Red” seems like it could emanate from a deserted amusement park before fading into an ethereal haze, and “Highest Invoking” leads with a distinct ominousness that parallels a soundtrack to a sci-fi flick with its dense mood. “Kindly Rewind” finishes the affair, and it’s a richly textured post-rock exploration you’ll want to revisit again, as you will the entire album.
Bessel wrote, arranged, produced and recorded all these tracks, and he did an incredible job capturing his ultra-creative vision that incorporates psychedelic, gothic and experimental ideas that blur the lines of art, sound and ambience. If you’re already a fan of Lore City, you’re going to enjoy Visitation, and vice versa.
