The arctic vibes the Circular boys are known for are here, but new flavors have found their way into the mix as well. Moon Pool carries the prestigious panoramic sound of Ultimae with its own distinctive personality.

Ah…Norway…really hope to visit there some day. My music collection includes some lovely Norwegian pearls, from many corners of the musical spectrum: jazz, experimental, prog rock, electronic and more. One of the latest pearls from Norway that have landed in my mailbox recently is Circular’s Moon Pool—”a pure ambient story in 8 chapters” as the lovely Lyon-based record label, Ultimae, describes it. Circular is the brainchild of Bjarte Andreassen and Jostein Dahl Gjelsvik, and the project is known for its arctic ambient electronica outputs on Origo Sound and Ultimae. In 2009, the duo released its first album for Ultimae, Substans, continuing the journey in the arctic sonic territories. Moon Pool, however, marks a new direction for Circular.

The arctic vibes the Circular boys are known for are here, but new flavors have found their way into the mix as well. Moon Pool carries the prestigious panoramic sound of Ultimae with its own distinctive personality. In a space of sixty five minutes, sumptuous weaves of psychedelic ambient ebb and flow hypnotically, softly infused with progressive trance. Warm synth work generates frosty, otherworldly and luminous imageries, and at times organic seasoning emerges and intensifies the atmospheres. This is indeed a story, a meditative yet intense story. The eight tracks are thoughtfully and effectively merged together. AES Dana makes an appearance on the sixth track, “Imbrium,” which is the most aggressive track on the album.

As expected from an Ultimae release, the production is topnotch. The sound is crystal clear, polished just in the right amount in order to let the liquid characteristics cast their spell effectively. Moon Pool is another successful addition to the Ultimae catalog, and will probably fill a spot in many Best Of lists by the genre’s aficionados at the end of the year. As usual from Ultimae, the CD comes inside a lovely digipak with beautiful artwork that compliments the music.

Moon Pool is available on Ultimae. [Bandcamp]