zakè & From Overseas & James Bernard - Flint

1. Conifer 11:08
2. Flint 10:27
3. Fir 08:08
4. Cedar 03:51
5. Thistle [feat. marine eyes] 11:05

In the years since the founding of Past Inside the Present, label head zakè (aka Zach Frizzell) has collaborated with an extensive roster of heavy-hitting ambient experimentalists, chief among which are From Overseas (aka Kévin Séry) and the legendary James Bernard. On Flint, these three artists make clear their well-developed bond, as they build vivid, organic worlds from an intuitive understanding of each other’s strengths, processes, and tonalities.
Opening track, “Conifer”, emerges with a dewy richness, evoking the first sharp breath of a brisk chill, and billows of fading woodsmoke on the wind. It evolves slowly, centered on Séry’s understated drones, adorned by field recordings and steeped in melancholy serenity. “Flint” drifts on a rapturous interweaving of soft electronics, deep bass, and orchestral sweep, accented by wafting guitars that evoke the gentlest parts of Fripp & Eno’s Evening Star. As the title piece, it impeccably conveys the enigma of the blown-out, pallid pine on the album cover, whose branches look almost like stalactites or thick icicles in defocused, analog grain.