Ambient · 1984 · 2 tracks

Abandoned Cities

Harold Budd's 'Abandoned Cities' is a stark, haunting ambient masterpiece from 1984, featuring two extended tracks of heavy synth drones and minimalist piano. It evokes a post-apocalyptic sound world,

1984 · All Saints Records (2)

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Imagine wandering through a vast, deserted metropolis under a perpetually grey sky, the only sounds being the wind whistling through skeletal structures and the distant, mournful hum of forgotten machinery. This is the sonic landscape of 'Abandoned Cities'. Harold Budd's signature 'soft pedal' piano technique is here, but it's draped in a heavy cloak of dark ambient synth drones, creating a deeply melancholic, almost despairing atmosphere. It's an album for quiet contemplation, for embracing solitude, and for those moments when you want to feel the weight of existence in its most beautiful, yet unsettling, form. A truly unique and essential piece of dark ambient history.

Tracklist · 2 Tracks

Dark Star

19:55

Abandoned Cities

23:05

Moments Worth Listening For

The gradual emergence of a single, sustained piano note from the dense, shifting synth drone at the five-minute mark of 'The Room', creating a momentary, fragile clarity.

The subtle, almost imperceptible harmonic shifts within the expansive synth textures of 'Bismillahi 'Rrahmani 'Rrahim', which build a profound sense of unease and vastness over its twenty-plus minute runtime.

The way the piano notes, though sparse, cut through the atmospheric haze with a chilling precision, particularly in the latter half of 'The Room', feeling like echoes in an empty hall.

Where This Album Departs

How does Abandoned Cities sound next to the rest of Harold Budd's catalogue?

Existential+3.9σ

The writing leans far further into existential than the rest of the catalogue.

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