Heliopause is a new word for me and it describes the new album from Anne Müller perfectly. It’s what we call the point where the sun’s winds have no effect on its surroundings. It is literally the outer edges of the solar system. This isolated coldness is expertly captured by Anne throughout.
Anne is a cellist and composer. Each of the tracks on Heliopause can usually be distilled down to two moods or arrangement types. Firstly we have drone-like ambience – either floating calmly or creating an epic vastness. Then we have rotating arpeggio arrangements that drift slowly around a chord structure or motif. Tracks like ‘Drifting Circle’ merge the two styles together with Anne’s voice providing a spacious aural layer behind it. It feels so atmospheric and airy.
Other tracks focus on other moods or soundscapes. ‘Nummer 2’ uses icy cello arpeggios which sound isolate and barren at the same time as feeling epic in scale. The title track is a shivering drone of interesting noises that evoke loneliness or stillness depending on your mood. One of the best moods on the album comes from the opening track ‘Being Anne’. Feeling somewhat audio biographical, the track starts off in stillness and then gets more off-kilter as new expressions unfold. It made me feel like Anne is loving the unknown depths of circulating around her artistic heliopause.
This album is a difficult sell for those looking for a straight forward melody though. ‘Heliopause’ is all about holding a feeling through the noise and pointing towards something. You’ll get the best out of it when you work for it but to do so you’ll need to be a lover of ambient, experimental minimalism… or a huge fan of the cello. With that being said, Anne Müller is able to create a world of tiny feelings for you to discover if you do connect with it though. There is a disquieting sci-fi movie soundtrack waiting to pounce in the future!
Recommended track: Drifting Circle
Higher Plain Music is part of the Higher Plain Network. If you like what I do, please consider supporting me via Patreon for as little as $1/£1 a month, sharing the website or radio station or using the affiliate buy now links on reviews. It will enable me to produce better content, more often and you’ll get access to behind the scenes information. Thank you.
Anne Müller - Heliopause
