Somewhere along the line, space became unfriendly. Michael Moorcock wrote in his novel The Black Corridor, "space does not care" and it seems that many of today's ambient and space music artists have taken this phrase to mean that space should be infinite blackness and cold isolation. I'm not in a position to argue, especially when "black space" ambient can be some of the most potent drift around (Celestial Geometries by Oöphoi and Tau Ceti comes immediately to mind). With all this uncaring space around, arguably the most realistic interpretation of space travel, it becomes all the more refreshing when an artist comes along and creates space music in its classic, positive, bright aspect--all fantasy travels with none of the sugary sweetness of new age music.

It is in the spirit of classic space music, planetarium music, music for interstellar journeys, that I come to Telomere's second album Zoetosis. This is an album in the grand tradition of Michael Stearns' Planetary Unfolding and Jon Serries' And the Stars Go With You. Zoetosis is an overwhelmingly positive sounding record, the kind of swelling music you feel in your heart when you imagine space as a place man was meant to commune with via exploration and discovery. This is not the sound of a dark Michael Moorcock novel, but of Arthur C. Clarke's proud forward movement to man's destiny amidst the infinite universe.

Zoetosis depicts Earth's surface from orbit on its cover, and this is an entirely apt description of the album's contents. From the opening sounds of track one, "Awakening," we begin with that greatest of metaphors--the comparison of the sea to space. Washes of the tide mix with deep synth washes (most of this music is created on the Serge Modular, making another notable Stearns connection); eventually some dramatic low-toned sequencing enters the fray and we suddenly liftoff on breathtaking synthwork as we shoot right out of the atmosphere into orbit. This track descends gradually back into tidal movement, and bleeds directly into "Microcosmos"--an entrancing, nearly psychedelic, rising and falling of synth tones. Here is where the Michael Stearns comparisons break down. While Stearns' early work with the Serge seemed to be more interested in showing off its capabilities, the work of Telomere has fully digested the instrument's use and is content to create powerful music with understated virtuosity. "Idiochrome" continues the beautiful synth washes of the preceding track, but also serves to remind us that though the Serge is by no means a new artifice for creating music, it is still capable of portraying the timeless. "Ancient Uplift" (a fantastic title) finds us gazing at a completely alien artifact, chattering to itself electronically--this thing is incomprehensible, but by looking at it we are somehow pushed forward into an ancient future where mariners sail the spaceways instead of the sea. "Evocation" is just that--slowly building an evocative orbital journey, at once in motion and motionless. "Dawnlight" contains a breathtaking theme, as if a paean to astronomy by starry-eyed, scholars--the equivalent to a planetary love song. Finally, "First Forest" brings us back to the beginnings of Earth, when nature was still somehow connected to the celestial--before humans could create an imaginary barrier between the ground beneath and the stars above. With this track, the atmosphere is no longer a barrier, but a transitional movement into infinity.

Zoetosis is a flawless record. It manages to portray the awesome majesty of the heavens (and Earth) without resorting to needless dramatic flourishes or strained mysticism. While rooted in classic space music of past decades, Zoetosis is fresh, perfectly produced, entrancing. You will not find a better space music record, bar none. Somehow, Christopher MacDonald (the man behind Telomere) has distilled the essence of space travel and the distinct feeling of the otherworldly inherent in the cosmos. If I could similarly distill this review to one word, it would assuredly be: breathtaking. I give this my highest recommendation—truly Zoetosis is a testament to the power of space music and its ability to transport listeners simply by hitting the play button.

On Evenfall Records.

since July 15, 2003