High Plains // Cinderland
Album of slowly evolving and simple instrumental soundscapes by Vancouver-based artist High Plains – sometimes beautiful, cinematic, and haunting and other times somewhat dull. Most tracks share a set of instruments – panned piano, analog synths, cello, and some sampled field recordings. The melodies aren’t especially complex, but the separate instruments fill out the mix well and complement each other. A slow tempo and reflective mood permeates the album.

No FCC’s - Reviewed by Slow Proteo


1) Cinderland (03:02): Slow rising synths with repeating piano, cello comes in halfway.
2) Blood That Ran the Rapids (03:30): Disparate panning string sounds with synth, white noise, and FX filling out the mix.
3) The Dusk Pines (06:31): Slow intro with held synth tones, cello entering around 1:20. String layers come and go throughout but the pulsing synth below remains.
4) A White Truck (02:48): Two- chord progression exploding with horns into a noisy soundscape at 1:48 but maintaining a calm tempo.
5) Ten Sleep* (03:21): Panned plucking and synth bass joined at 1:00 by cinematic pads, then piano echoes.
6) Black Shimmer* (04:05): Strings sit on slowly pulsing synth pad.
7) Hypoxia (04:53): Similar to last track but less interesting, feel like I’m walking in a creepy forest with the sun poking through the branches.
8) Rushlight (02:53): Usual vibes until around 1:00 when piano chords play a calm progression over a building choral synth.
9) Song for a Last Night (05:14): Somber with a fade into white noise at the end.