I was browsing Bandcamp for ambient music, since I was in such a peachy, solace mood. So, these two artists I stumbled upon put together this ambient album and it seems they were also looking for solace as well. I couldn’t find much information about this collaboration besides the album’s Bandcamp page and marine eye’s cloud collecting blog post about this release. She states that she and her collab partner both have loved ones suffering from chronic illnesses and Still Beauty is their way to cope. Zach Frizzell who goes by the moniker zakè, has a prolific discography and has been working in ambient and drone soundscapes for quite a while now. They’re also releasing Still Beauty under the label, Past Inside the Present, an establishment that he himself has founded. Cynthia Bernard who goes by marine eyes is also into the ambient scene, so it’s easy to predict that these two go together like two serene peas in a peace pod. A while back, marine eyes did an interview with Flow State, saying she grew up with an affinity of electronic music and dropped big names like Aphex Twin, Four Tet, Björk, and Brian Eno. She’s a huge fan of the alternative scene too, just reading about her infectious enthusiasm is a delight. This isn’t Zach and Cynthia’s first rodeo together, since they did work an album together, Unfailing Love in 2021, but Still Beauty is new ground for me and after a few listens, I can definitely say this definitely satisfies my ambient loving hemispheres. If tranquility was the purpose of this album then I must say, Frizzell and Bernard it did a stellar job with these calm synthesizers and instrumentals. Since it’s an ambient drone album, Still Beauty provides these long chords that swells, it doesn’t give too much and it’s not so dynamic that’s for sure. If that’s not your cup of tea and that makes you sleep, this will be a tough sell, unless you want the snoozes. To me however, this album has been such a rewarding listen and my mind did reach tranquility that’s for sure. The layered chords provide this peace that reminds me of what ambient artists Stars of the Lid did with their timeless And Their Refinement of the Decline album (even though that one is much more versatile and intricate). Still Beauty doesn’t need to showboat to provoke an emotion as these rich instrumentals even sometimes get cinematic in a way and you have these pictures, vignettes, or footage in your head. Well, that’s how I consume some music, hahaha. Again, it is impressive on how much I am in tune with this record despite they don’t provide a lot when it comes to composition, but something needs to be said about the goal they set out to achieve. And after having some of my stress suppressed with this thing, I think they pulled it off with flying, graceful, soft, natural colors.
Going over the highlights, “Frosted Glass” gives us this swell of strings and the heavenly vocals Bernard provides. It gives us this feeling of melancholy and somberness, but like many of the other tracks here it provides comfort. “Blanketed” sounds just like its name with this ghostly fuzz in the background looming over. It does sound like processed tape music. The chords coming up and down complement with the same heavenly vocals very well. To me, it’s like watching a montage of someone’s past. “After it Rained” has this soundscape that sounds wavy to a degree and gives us touches of piano. It reminds me of the beginning of Orbital’s “Halcyon On + On” track. It does give me the feeling of being underwater with a lens flare up above. The synthesizer also feels like it’s constantly ascending as well.
“Day’s End” goes all in with these strings that just fills in as much space as it can giving us that said cinematic aesthetic. “What Was Home” reminded me of Hirotaka Shirotsubaki and how they added sprinkles of guitar to make their track shine. We have “Crossroads” also giving us traces of guitar being played around with the synths. Almost like watching a skyline of a city with all the lights being lit up like fireflies. The closer “Still Beauty” is the longest running time here, and it basically has Bernard’s vocals filling up a lot of space with the synthesizer droning throughout with flourishes alongside. For a closer, it does sound like a conclusion and a closure. It’s like credits rolling in someone’s movie.
If ambient music is not your thing, then that’s understandable. It has basically one texture in each track with how minimalist it is. There are a few tracks in here that don’t affect me as much as the other ones. It’s just sometimes the formula doesn’t work. It’s one of those genres that either click with you in the beginning or it doesn’t.
Still Beauty takes its time, so it helps the person listening to it be as contemplative as much as they can. It’s a patient listen and rewards you with the peace you deserve. It doesn’t try to be anything else, add any fireworks, as it knows the assignment. I’m grateful for the comfort this album has provided like a warm blanket or a telescope to cosmic space. It exchanges complexity for the emotions it has evoked and making that possible is more than enough on some other records I have listened that were more intricate. I would definitely listen to this if I need to take deep breaths or contemplate how good I’ve got it right now. The title of the album has a double meaning, the music itself does emulate a kind of beauty that is still itself. You visualize nature or any other serene landscape to appreciate the beauty standing still. That in itself is healing. However, again going back to Bernard’s substack, she did touch on what she and zakè was set out to do for their loved ones and what the title of their project meant.
“We both still have people we love living with chronic illness, and this album became a way for us to process heavy emotions and to remember there is always still beauty to be found.”
Cynthia Bernard, cloud collecting
FAVORITE TRACKS: FROSTED GLASS, BLANKETED, AFTER IT RAINED, DAY’S END, CROSSROADS
LEAST FAVORITE: MAP OF EDGES
You can purchase this album on Bandcamp and their discography is also available for streaming. Links down below.
[Bandcamp][Apple Music][TIDAL]
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