Selected Ambient Works, Volume II

Ambient · 1994 · 41 tracks · 4h 34m

Selected Ambient Works, Volume II

Nearly three hours of beatless, tape-hissed ambient music. A vast, mysterious landscape of warm analog synths, ghostly vocal loops, and quiet dread.

Ambient abstraction

Low-frequency hums and the faint hiss of decaying tape warp these vast, beatless expanses into something resembling an abandoned power station at dusk. Instead of the kinetic rhythms of his debut, you are left with cold analog synths and half-heard vocal loops that drift like fog. It is a massive, unsettling space where beauty and quiet dread coexist, inviting you to lose your bearings in the dark.

Selected Ambient Works, Volume II · vs · Aphex Twin

Quiet-2.7σ

By trading frantic drum programming for a quiet, beatless stillness, the record retreats into a hushed, meditative space where the silence between the notes carries as much weight as the synthesizers themselves.

Tracklist · 41 Tracks · 4h 34m

01

[Hexagon]

5:58

01

[Tree]

9:58

01

[Cliffs]

7:28

02

[Lichen]

4:15

02

[Domino]

7:18

02

[Radiator]

6:34

03

[Rhubarb]

7:44

03

[White Blur 1]

2:40

03

[Spots]

7:09

04

Blue Calx

7:20

04

[Hankie]

4:40

04

[Tassels]

7:30

05

[Parallel Stripes]

8:01

05

[Grass]

8:55

05

[White Blur 2]

11:27

06

[Matchsticks]

5:39

06

[Shiny Metal Rods]

5:34

06

[Mold]

3:31

07

[Grey Stripe]

4:46

07

Th1 [Evnslower]

11:08

07

[Curtains]

8:51

08

Rhubarb Orc. 19.53 Rev

6:41

08

[Blur]

5:08

08

[Z Twig]

2:05

09

[Weathered Stone]

6:55

09

[Windowsill]

7:17

10

[Tree]

9:58

10

[Stone in Focus]

10:14

11

[Domino]

7:18

12

[White Blur 1]

2:40

14

[Parallel Stripes]

8:01

15

[Shiny Metal Rods]

5:34

16

[Grey Stripe]

4:46

17

[Z Twig]

2:05

18

[Windowsill]

7:17

19

[Hexagon]

5:58

20

[Lichen]

4:15

21

[Spots]

7:10

22

[Tassels]

7:30

23

[White Blur 2]

11:27

24

[Matchsticks]

5:39

Moments Worth Waiting For

03[Rhubarb]The track '[Rhubarb]' relies on a slowly cycling, melancholic keyboard figure that feels suspended in a thick fog of analog noise.

02[Lichen]On '[Lichen]', a warm, pastoral synthesizer melody unfurls over a static drone, offering a rare moment of bright, comforting stillness.

04Blue Calx'Blue Calx' introduces a metallic, clockwork-like clinking sound that provides a rare, slow rhythmic anchor amidst the surrounding drift.

Reviews

The Village VoiceB-

Pitchfork

Rolling Stone4/ 5 stars

AllMusic

Entertainment WeeklyC

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