Oneironautics, Hawksmoor - Qobuz (2024)

James McKeown's occult-inspired electronic project Hawksmoor evokes several types of hypnotic, cinematic music, from German kosmische of the 1970s to the hauntology of the Ghost Box label. With Oneironautics, his second release for Soul Jazz Records, he veers toward the guitar-driven side of British ambient and progressive music, recalling Robert Fripp's Frippertronics techniques as well as the pastoral melodies of the Durutti Column's Vini Reilly. He continues creating music using a seemingly limited setup of modular synths, drum machines, and guitars, and there's no need for any extraneous sound sources or instruments, as he has enough to work with in order to establish a captivating mood. The pieces often have rippling vibrations, steadily pulsating rhythms, and expansive textures. They're propulsive but not in a hurry to get anywhere, and there are some occasions where they seem to slightly change course, as on opener "Parallelograms," which downshifts halfway through and eventually drifts free of rhythm entirely. "The Transcendentalist" sounds like an electronic interpretation of British folk melodies, and the acoustic guitar-based "A Forest in the Sky" recalls the atmospheric beauty of Popol Vuh's scores for Werner Herzog films. "Traumzeit" has airy, dream pop-esque guitars over clip-clopping electronic beats, while "Nereides" takes a turn closer to colder pulsations and fizzing synth sequences. The final track, "The Oneironaut," is the most dramatic, with delay placed on the drum machine so that it sounds like the beats are shattering, and the synths pitched up to a high level of suspense. Focused meandering seems like a fitting description of McKeown's work, as Oneironautics feels free and exploratory but not accidental.

&copy Paul Simpson /TiVo

James McKeown's occult-inspired electronic project Hawksmoor evokes several types of hypnotic, cinematic music, from German kosmische of the 1970s to the hauntology of the Ghost Box label. With Oneironautics, his second release for Soul Jazz Records, he veers toward the guitar-driven side of British ambient and progressive music, recalling Robert Fripp's Frippertronics techniques as well as the pastoral melodies of the Durutti Column's Vini Reilly. He continues creating music using a seemingly limited setup of modular synths, drum machines, and guitars, and there's no need for any extraneous sound sources or instruments, as he has enough to work with in order to establish a captivating mood. The pieces often have rippling vibrations, steadily pulsating rhythms, and expansive textures. They're propulsive but not in a hurry to get anywhere, and there are some occasions where they seem to slightly change course, as on opener "Parallelograms," which downshifts halfway through and eventually drifts free of rhythm entirely. "The Transcendentalist" sounds like an electronic interpretation of British folk melodies, and the acoustic guitar-based "A Forest in the Sky" recalls the atmospheric beauty of Popol Vuh's scores for Werner Herzog films. "Traumzeit" has airy, dream pop-esque guitars over clip-clopping electronic beats, while "Nereides" takes a turn closer to colder pulsations and fizzing synth sequences. The final track, "The Oneironaut," is the most dramatic, with delay placed on the drum machine so that it sounds like the beats are shattering, and the synths pitched up to a high level of suspense. Focused meandering seems like a fitting description of McKeown's work, as Oneironautics feels free and exploratory but not accidental.

&copy Paul Simpson /TiVo