Review of Mark Mahoney's

Beyond the Vaulting Sky CD by Sonic Curiosity

MARK MAHONEY: Beyond the Vaulting Sky (CD on Waiting World Records)

This release from 2009 offers 58 minutes of ambient electronic music.

Brooding atmospherics are seasoned by delicate electronic waves that lend the sky music an expansive milieu.

As an ambient foundation unfurls, pleasant electronics sigh and ripple with languid definition. Lavish hissing sweeps cascade through the mix. Deep tones resonate in tandem with high-end pitches, establishing a congenial counterbalance of effects. Flutish keyboards mingle with mechanized rainfall, evoking a winsome nostalgia for unexplored realms.

The presence of grittier enhancements introduce favorable substance to the ethereal flow. Glitchy chitterings, hints of percussive pitterings, sparkling diodes, gurgling chords--all of which provide the tuneage with delightful density. Mahoney has an alluring tendency to balance softness with body, resulting in an appealing robust sound that remains fragile and peaceful.

In some tracks, sounds are utilized in a percussive manner, bolstering the gently streaming melodies with rhythmic motivation. The tempos are amiable and mild, coaxing a moderate degree of animation to the ambience.

While these compositions are generally ambient in nature, the presence of more substantial embellishments elevate the music to contemporary status. The harmonic definition often exhibits enticing melodic traces, giving the music's contemplative character an entertaining spirit. 

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