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Long time stargazers Hammock have reissued their classic album Kenotic as an expanded, remastered edition with 7 extra tracks. This 10th anniversary of this beautiful album displays both how far the band has come and how close they remain to their sonic roots. What you can expect here is delicate and beautifully rendered ambient dream pop that bares the listener to their soul and drenches them with blistering joy and heavy emotion. Like every album of theirs, this is an immersive and meditative experience, and no one walks away unmoved or the same person they were before they started listening. For myself, I can only say that this music makes me reflect on many things going on in my life, and it provides a frame of reference for just how small we really are in this world.
“Before The Celebration” starts off with a crowd of people and morphs into tinkling piano and a beautiful string arrangement. Moods shift here and elsewhere, often like a storm overtaking the sun. “The Air Between Us” is an old favorite, a song that crops up often in my play queue, and it captures a relationship, marking the ups and downs that exist between all of us. “Through a Glass Darkly” is murkily rendered and uneasy, squirreling into your brain like the darkest earworm, filling your head with an undercurrent of ominous cello and rippling guitar. “Blankets of Night” folds around you and envelops you with a joyous, end of day salute. So glad you are to get through another one and be thankful.
“Winter Light” is hypnotic and trippy, and despite this album reminding me sharply of autumn, this song settles in nicely with the other compositions. “Miles to Go Before Sleep” begins with what sounds like meditative bells and even has sounds that approach whale song in one spot, and it underscores the engagement you’ll have with this music, pushing you into a mental space far from sleep. “Wish” is longing personified, with a brightly drawn arrangement and background sounds. It is faster-paced and could be a nifty sci-fi soundtrack in miniature. “Overcast/Sorrow” is about what you’d expect, slow and contemplative, with an almost Native American feel to it. “Glacial” is a watery and peaceful confection, while the title track “Kenotic” is graceful and moves swiftly through.“Stars in the Rearview Mirror” is psychedelic ambience, if such a thing exists. Unearthly voices slice through at the beginning, which puts it slightly into space rock territory, if the space referred to is the vast expanse of interstellar space. “You May Emerge From This More Dead Than Alive” is short and ends just as you’ve been drawn in, wondering what the whispered words mean. “What Heaven Allows” is closer to an actual rock song structure than the other songs here, though the vocals are buried deeply beneath the mix. “The Silence” is filled with sacred contemplation, gorgeously billowing strings and grandeur in its stillness. “Dawn Begins To Creep” has a weirdly echoing voice that floats off and is replaced by what sounds like slightly distorted guitars and many layers of complex sound. “Rising Tide” is the last of the original album’s songs, and it has the air of finality with the sound of waves washing on the beach.
As for the extra tracks, “Always Wishing You Were Somewhere Else” fits in well with the rest of these selections (it originally appeared on the EP Stranded Under Endless Sky). It is restrained passion, and you sense the protagonist’s mind wandering away from wherever they are. “Turning to Stone” is upbeat and has some lovely cello lines at its foundation (cello is one of my favorite instruments). “Last Horizon” is oddly thrilling and rather darkly gorgeous, while “Departure” has a hint of sadness at its core. Whether a favorite loved one is leaving, or someone has died, the solemn sentiment lingers behind. “Frailty” is drastically different than the other songs, and is rather loud and jarring to the senses. A rather distorted guitar starts things off and the song retains its almost alien flare, with backward masked voices to stir the pot further. “Storm Sets In” is restrained and lovely, with some thunder rolling in at the end. “Underneath the Skin” is cool, trippy shoegaze, which makes me wish they would perform more of it! In essence, this is a most worthwhile reissue that all Hammock fans and new fans of this genre should check out.
