Strands by Steve Hauschildt (Review)

Although perhaps best known as a founding member of electronic outfit Emeralds, Steve Hauschildt has also released several acclaimed albums under his own name. Most recently, he released Strands in 2016, which blends modular electronics with stirring ambient passages.

The album’s title track is particularly lovely and affecting, with dreamy tones twinkling like stars on the clearest night imaginable, while melodic fragments and soft arpeggios drift below. Put simply, it’s one of those songs you never want to end, but rather, want to live inside for longer than its five minutes allows. (If I’d heard it last year, “Strands” would definitely have been on my year-end mix.)

Other highlights include “Horizon of Appearances” which begins the album on an eerie, twilit note; the percolating “Same River Twice,” which recalls vintage Steve Roach; and “Time We Have,” whose magnificent synth tones sound like they’re emanating from a cathedral in orbit high overhead.