Album Review: Lexicon of Sound, Hypnagogia

Although he had been involved in the Irish music industry for many years, Colm Fitzpatrick decided to to try something completely different, under a new moniker, Lexicon of Sound. Formerly of the Dublin band Hey Paulette, he started this project to "combine his love of ambient music with his ability to create innovative and inspiring sounds."

In his desire to make a cohesive ambient instrumental record, Hypnagogia is a triumph. In keeping with the name of his new label, Lighthouse Records, listening to it can feels like you're looking out on a grey sea like that the album's cover.

At its best moments, the album delivers a melancholic yet tense atmosphere that wouldn't sound out of place as a soundtrack to an indie psychological thriller. It's hard to separate standout tracks, as the album works best as a cohesive work to be listened to in full, but 'Abdul's Android' is arguably the best song on the record.

The album is prone to self-indulgence at times, but that may be by design. After all, if you can't be a bit pretentious on a 10-minute long instrumental track, when can you be?

Some may give up on the album after the first listen if they are not overly familiar with other ambient music. However, even fans of other genres can find value in this piece. Best suited for a good pair of headphones and a quiet evening pondering in your room.

Stream Hypnagogia below:

You can pre-order the physical version also at Lexicon of Sound's bandcamp.