Julie Hill: ‘glow serene’ album review: Mother Nature’s in a band
THE SKINNY: Ambient music can be relatively divisive at times. You’ll rarely find anyone who actively dislikes it, but because of its calm nature and the fact the majority of songs build up very slowly, some fans of more fast-paced and energetic music will try to stay clear of it. That’s understandable. It’s all subjective, and atmospheric music can often be something easy to disassociate from; however, that can’t be said with Julie Hill’s newest album, ‘glow serene’.
There is no doubt about it: this is a slow-burning, gorgeous, ambient album that any fans of this genre are going to adore. Hill blends natural and man-made sounds, using recordings of the wind, rain, and running water alongside oscillating synths that allow Mother Nature and musical production to perform in tandem. The result is a luscious off-set of the busy modern world.
Additionally, though, this record has a lot that people who don’t often lean into ambient music might enjoy. For instance, vocals are sporadically placed throughout. There are a lot of effects added to them, but they still sound gorgeous and give more of a standard structure to something that could otherwise be nebulous. She also places a couple of very short numbers in the album in the form of ‘an ether and time’ and ‘in and out of your mind’, which provide some levity to the whole LP.
This album blurs the lines between traditionally ambient and atmospheric music and something a bit more mainstream. It’s a beautiful piece of music that will undoubtedly appeal to a wide audience. Amid the beautiful blur, there are hooks to lure you in.
For fans of: Music that ascends, natural sounds, and weekends with absolutely no plans.
A concluding comment from Mother Nature: “Worked really hard on this project, very happy that it’s out.”
glow serene track by track
Release date: August 30th | Label: Umé Records | Producer: Julie Hill
‘in autonoesis you’: An album couldn’t ask for a more atmospheric introduction. With a combination of naturally occurring sounds and instrumentation, it feels less like you have turned on an LP and instead stumbled across this piece of music on a walk. What comes afterwards are glistening, large synth sounds and oscillating keys, creating a cinematic sound that no Hollywood picture could ever be worthy of.
Around the halfway point, things begin to settle down ever so slightly. That atmosphere is still there, but the synth is replaced with the occasional hit of a string or drawn-out note lower down the keyboard. If there were ever a section of a song that you could float to, it would be this, as various melodies, tempos, instruments and styles of playing layer on top of one another to create a sound that feels like it’s always been with you.
Towards the crescendo of this track, there is a full breakdown; any bass sounds go crackly, and all we are left with are pulsating chords that keep us locked in. It feels like a moment you might never stray from, and the first 12 minutes of the album pass as quickly as a flash. [3.5/5]
‘glow serene’: The titular track feels less like a song and more like the idea of a song being extrapolated from the mind that conceived it. Drawn out, atmospheric and shimmering, ‘glow serene’ feels like an invasion of privacy at times because of how intimate it comes across. Even towards the end of the song, when it gets busy with overlapping keys and synth sounds, it feels as natural as breathing. A song found rather than made. [4/5]
‘rove on the shadows infinite’: While ‘glow serene’ has some vocals, this is the first song where vocals feel conscious. They sound beautiful, complementing the shimmering instrumentation that they glide atop. As they drift out, we are left with that instrumentation for the track’s second half, with lyrics only sprinkled sporadically. On the one hand, it feels a shame for such lovely vocals to only make a glancing appearance, but part of the appeal of this album is the sparse use of vocals that adds emphasis to them when they appear. [4/5]
‘an ether and time’: At just over two minutes long, this song feels like a stark contrast to the slow-building songs we hear prior, yet it remains a pivotal part of the album. The use of vocals over the sound of wind and sea sounds is haunting and a perfect example of nature recording and the use of natural sounds within music. [3.5/5]
‘in and out of your mind’: In just under two minutes, this song also passes in a flash, yet it feels like a great deal happens within it. It is slow-building and incredibly tranquil, and the quick passage is necessary to give listeners a moment to step back and catch their breath, providing quick relief from the album’s intensity before diving straight back into it. [3/5]
‘ambient bliss’: Similar to the opening few tracks on the album, this song blends instrumentation with naturally occurring sounds such as wind and running water to create something incredibly sweet and peaceful. This track doesn’t feel quite as at peace with itself as those that came before. At 10 minutes long, the run time feels less intentional and more a case of not knowing when to stop, which can often be the problem with ambient music. It still sounds lovely, though. [2.5/5]
‘how to glisten’: Steel drums usher in this bonus track that has a light-sounding synth steadily lying on top of it. Hill embraces a bit more chaos with this song, though, as sounds become the most aggressive we have heard on the record, storm-like in their presentation and far removed from some of the more tranquil music provided throughout the record. It’s a nice change that keeps the listener on their toes and means this nine-minute piece of music doesn’t become stagnant. [3.5/5]
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