Eighth Tower Records – Drone Islands – The Lost Maps

There have been plenty of times that I’ve dove into the world of drone and found loads of enjoyment out of the strangely meditative works that are in a world all of their own every time they’re played. One of the best examples that I’ve seen that really brought the style to a new level of understanding for me was the first issue of “Drone Islands” with “Land Raising” a little over a year ago, and now it’s with “The Lost Maps” that the bar has been raised for me just a little yet again.

The beauty of compilations like these is simply how minimal they are as they’re like many other compilations: just bringing together a whole bunch of different artists doing a similar sound and calling it a compilation. But, if it’s a good selection it can become a real tour of what the style has to bring to the table and that’s really what impressed me about the first issue of “Drone Islands”, and it’s what makes the follow-up of “The Lost Maps” such a meaty piece right from the beginning that we can really sink our teeth into. If you’re even loosely familiar with the world of drone, then you know exactly what you’re in for with something like this, but make no mistake in thinking that the acts gathered here are light-weights by any means as they definitely know their way around the style without any sort of hesitation as “The Lost Maps” effortlessly bounds from one act to the next as each one of them impresses as names completely fresh to my ears. Whether it’s the first track or the seventh, there is very little within the confines of “The Lost Maps” that I wouldn’t recommend for even a loose fan of drone as it’s got so much of what makes the seemingly barren soundscape such an interesting piece to begin with, and I would not doubt a single one of these acts aren’t capable of delivering goodness again in the future.

I always find compilations like these fun since they give us a good sample as to what’s out there without spoiling too much, and it’s very much the same here as we get an eclectic collection of acts that are definitely noteworthy I feel now that I’ve been exposed to them. There are tons to dive into with “The Lost Maps” and I can absolutely guarantee that I will be putting more hours into this album.

LISTEN to “Drone Islands – The Lost Maps” on Bandcamp here.