I unexpectedly took the plunge into the rabbit hole of self-inquiry with BardSpec’s ambient album, ‘Hydrogen’.  BardSpec is the side project of Enslaved guitarist Ivar Bjornson, a project that was debuted at The Netherlands annual metal festival, Roadburn in 2015. Joined by Steve Austin (Today is the Day fame) on guitars and effects, BardSpec also has a visual component, led by David Hall.

When putting my hand up for this album, I very incorrectly assumed that something by Bjornson would automatically be in the realm of Enslaved. This couldn’t be further from the truth. BardSpec’s website describes the project as combining “stirring, hallucinatory synth-sounds with mercurial guitar effects and hypnotic rhythms that navigate illusory landscapes.”  This is an instrumental, transcendental ambient album that took multiple listens to start to understand.

Opening the album opens with a short, two-minute introduction called “Deposition.” Hearing this for the first time was confusing and very unexpected; it sounds a lot like a loop frequently used in the late 90’s rave world. The loop disappears and as “Deposition” comes to a close, I feel like I’m being sucked into a David Lynch Eraserhead moment that I can’t get out of.  Thankfully the introduction ends and seamlessly blends into “Bone”, a 9:51 sonic journey full of guitars, loops and synth effects that mimic a breeze heard off in the distance. At one point I thought I heard a digeridoo as the track progressed. Drums become more noticeable and start to come to the front of the track, the peak of the wave.  As it ends, “Bone” fades out with a bass beat and a whining guitar trailing off into the distance.

The next track on the album is “Fire Tongue.” BardSpec released this as a single at the beginning of April, and the highlight on the record. There is a tribal essence to “Fire Tongue,” with a rhythm redolent of a drum circle, that carries its way throughout the entire track. Different sounds come and go throughout the track, including various percussive elements, film score-esque synths and a quiet yet commanding rhythmic pulse.  At about the 7:00 mark, a drummer enters the composition and provides even more depth, and as a result, “Fire Tongue” begins to take on a more purposeful sound. The visual component is just as important a feature in “Fire Tongue” (and the whole BardSpec project), with Hall’s work the star of the show on the track’s YouTube release.

“Gamma” is up next and at a considerable length of 10:40, it is a challenging listening experience. The high pitched, chiming synths of the intro, combined with the strange morse code loop doesn’t have the primal, trance-like character of its predecessors. It isn’t consistent with the previous songs on the album. When listening to ““Bone”:” and ““Fire Tongue”,” there was an opportunity to become immersed in the sound and rhythm of them. “Gamma” sounds more like spa music, and does not have that same primordial effect as the previous two.

By the time the penultimate track “Salt” arrives, ‘Hydrogen’ has become a laborious listen. “Salt” is an even longer track sitting at 12:24, and the loops and reverberations of the track are hard to digest after sitting through the whole record.  However, the bonus track “Teeth” completes BardSpec’s album, and is a good track to end on. There is a myriad of musical sounds in “Teeth” hearing chimes, soft drums, guitars and windswept echo effects in the background. The bass line provides “Teeth” with a completed sound, unlike “Gamma”.  An interesting change at about 4:20 almost develops into a drum n bass track as it progresses. “Teeth” ends abruptly and fades out, completing BardSpec’s eccentric debut.

This album has reminded me is there is always an opportunity to become completely immersed in the experience of music. It has also taught me that ambient music can be difficult to experience on repeat.  This is not an album to listen to superficially, and requires an intentional space to get the most out of these compositions. At the same time, a little goes a long way. I was surprised by the early techno influences in “Deposition” and “Teeth,” and left indifferent by the tedium of “Gamma.” I doubt I’ll be listening to this album from start to finish again, but will revisit tracks like “Bone” and “Fire Tongue.”  ‘Hydrogen’ is a challenging and introspective musical experience that is worth a listen, but if headbanging and fist pumping is exclusively your thing, maybe give this one a miss.