Substrata (released, oddly, on the
new age-heavy
All Saints label) was the first full-length solo work released by
Biosphere's
Geir Jenssen following a three-year period of silence. The album was the first of three to appear almost simultaneously, however -- the other two being the
soundtrack to the psychological thriller
Insomnia, on the
Norwegian Origo Sound label, as well as his third
Apollo album -- proving he'd hardly been in hibernation. Interestingly, while many
ambient artists have moved increasingly toward the integration of percussion and rhythmic sequencing,
Substrata finds
Jenssen almost completely abandoning the rhythmic elements of earlier works such as
Patashnik and
"Novelty Waves," focusing on dark, subtly melodic, often piercingly melancholic soundscapes that flow seamlessly from one to the next. The album recalls the more abstract moments of
Global Communication's
ambient works, as well as the glacial expanses of
Jenssen's 1996 collaboration with
Higher Intelligence Agency,
Polar Sequences, and is quite easily among his most accomplished, satisfying works to date. ~ Sean Cooper