Vakula ‎– Metaphors (2018)

It's been less than five months since the release of Vakula's Techno Game album, but he's already delivered the follow-up. Metaphors is slightly different from some of his (admittedly eclectic) full-length excursions, focused as it is on the gently unfurling, head-in-the-clouds world of ambient music. Of course, much of the music is still gently rhythmic - check for example, the pulsating arpeggio lines and tumbling kalimba melodies of the strangely foreboding "Proem", or the spaced-out, keyboard demo rhumba rhythms underpinning languid opener "Smooth Movement" - but the vibe remains thoroughly horizontal throughout. While the standard is high throughout, we're particularly enjoying the two versions of "Tale of Eternal Thought", with the weightless bliss of the "Different Version" standing out.