Citadels In Snow Album

On this version of the album:

The Free Music Archive version of this album contains longer versions of tracks 07 and 09 as well as shorter versions of tracks 12 and 14. The other versions can be downloaded for free on cryptic scenery's Bandcamp page.

On the album:

This album is a collection of shorter to mid-length Ambient music pieces. I realised that in recent years other albums by cryptic scenery that could be characterised as Ambient and/or Drone music predominantly contained longer compositions, as with the Imaginary Cities series or the album The Glacial Age.

Therefore, I set out to record a number of tracks that had a significantly shorter duration and covered a variety of atmospheric settings. Obviously, quite a bit of it is probably rather gloomy, but that’s the kind of music I seem to be able to come up with. But even in darkness, there is a multitude of shades, and I hope the album can provide some worthwhile sonic surroundings. There is no underlying theme or approach that unites all of the tracks featured here; then again, while one might enjoy single tracks (or not), the fourteen tracks are supposed to form a cohesive whole.

One would not be wrong in stating that the albums atmospheres seems to grow more unsettling and foreboding in some of the later tracks. Relief is temporary, unease keeps returning. Maybe impressions of recent world events crept into my psyche at some point while recording, or I might as well have been unhappy about having missed the bus again. The album title and cover image are on their part reflections of the dark(-ish) vibe, which – in this case – trumps deeper meaning.

Either way, those words are of course infinitely less important than the music. Here’s hoping that to some of you listening the tracks gathered here will be of interest.