Ambient Ensemble
A collaboration between Nick Schofield, Yolande Laroche,
Philippe Charbonneau, & Mika Posen
Album cover design by Josiana Issa
Ambient Ensemble
Written by Alex DeSimine(they/them)
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It is an exhausting time to exist – I need not drone on about the endless ailments, but to name a few: the climate is changing and it seems out of our hands, an ongoing genocide in Palestine is happening and it seems out of our hands, cost of living is rising while quality of life is diminishing and it all seems out of our hands. So it’s no wonder ambient music has been such a popular sonic space in the last few years – we collectively need a break.
I use the word “collectively” with intention here. Seemingly, the only antidote for us all in this current moment is to find a way to use our collective power to create a movement for change that transcends the individualism we’ve all been coddled by, ultimately preventing us all from truly forging a new path into a safer and healthier future.
But this is an album review! Why am I saying all of this? In part, it’s because I’m not getting paid to write these words and I’m sort of just venting. But also, I intend to connect these dots (I promise!) with minimal winding about.
Certainly I am not here to say that the balm we all need is an escape; I think the rise in ambient music’s popularity can often be reflected as such: a rise in escapism as the troubles of our world continue to grow and pervade our everyday existences.
I do not wish to encourage escapism, as now is not the time to disengage. And I am also not here to say that music will change the world – at least not single-handedly. But what Nick Schofield’s “Ambient Ensemble” has been offering me, among other things, is a space to let my shoulders loosen while also suggesting a sense of collectivity in which to both luxuriate and wonder at futures near and attainable.
The record is released under one name, but undoubtedly is the sound of a group exceling together, listening to each other and shaping something in real time that is both heavenly and firmly rooted in the earth. Often, Mika Posen and Yolande Laroche, playing violin and clarinet respectively, are lilting about up in the clouds as Schofield’s piano and Philip Charbonneau’s bass work ground the pieces. Unison lines appear throughout, as musicians pause from their separate musings and agree upon a singular musical thought to bring to the forefront, creating what are often highlights of this collection. Laroche’s voice appears in some of these moments, and the gentle presence of voice is consistently a delightful arrival. Schofield’s arpeggiated moments are classic synth gravy – in fact, so much of “Ambient Ensemble” feels like gravy, yet somehow it is a well-balanced meal: rich and lush without ever losing sight of the main course beneath all of the seasonings and dressings.
Photo by Christopher Honeywell
Nick Schofield’s “Ambient Ensemble” is an idyllic vision of our shared now: beautiful, hopeful, collective, concise, exploratory, cooperative. It is ambient but beneath the lush lies a carefully constructed arrangement. This album sounds extravagant, but never leans in so hard as to succumb to the complacency that extravagance can offer. There is always motion, always development and purpose. There is some more exploratory production – the glitchy fun of “Fine Tune” into “Joy Cry” is a personal highlight – but generally the album remains in the sort of cavernous liminality that sounds like four transcendent musicians in a room, creating something magical.
And now please excuse my ham-fisted conclusion: I’ve been enjoying this record for the past few weeks as I also consider how to move through the world in a way that feels generative and enriching, listening to this and reflecting on being more organized in my personal and political movements. “Ambient Ensemble” has been the perfect backdrop to these musings – this is the sound of people working together, pooling their specific and glorious talents in service of a common goal. And the result is, as it happens, also specific and glorious.
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Written by Alex DeSimine
