Somewhere Someone Else is the latest release from Hidden Shoal Recordings, as well as the debut album from the U.S. based Wes Willenbring. Willenbring is another fine example of the label’s rise in the ambient electronica field, as they continually showcase new, innovative artists to the masses. Following Slow Dancing Society’s impressive debut, this full length offers another potent dose of high quality drone music.

Currently residing in San Francisco, Willenbring approaches his music in an original manner by using only piano and guitar to create a wide array of sounds, from soft, warm, violin-like synths, to raw powerful excerpts. While this approach might appear to be following in the footsteps of minimalism, a heavy amount of manipulation enters during post-production, which gives it a much needed vitality. Although this technique occasionally comes across as slightly awkward, the resulting sound is full and provides a consistent variation throughout the work that might otherwise be absent..

The album opens with "Correspondence," a calm, absorbing introduction to the album. Nothing stands out in this track, but it serves its purpose as a teaser for the music to come, with slow drones and discrete piano ringing from the background. As the album progresses, more sounds are introduced to the formula; echoing melodies of string-like guitars, a trembling piano part, smooth subtle bass, and other components all add up during the length of Somewhere Someone Else to produce an intoxicating atmosphere. One of the many standout pieces on this album is "Lost Illusions." Here Willenbring combines the ambient drones and synths mentioned above with unprocessed guitar, which gives a more organic and raw sound to the track, akin to early Seaworthy. This structure of heavily processed sounds layered over the top of unprocessed guitar and piano is repeated throughout the album in different ways and at different tempos to keep the album varied, yet it still retains a similar calming mood throughout which is of crucial importance for music of this type.

Considering this is his first release, it is suprising how mature and well-crafted this album is. Somewhere Someone Else is a definite success, and Wes Willenbring is a name we'll be hearing much about in the future.

-Idris Hussain