Album Notes

Earthbound is the fourth installment in Rob Anderson's series of dark ambient music, ostensibly known as dungeon music. Just as in his previous works, Earthbound is a cohesive tone poem loosely based on a particular seductive subject, that of a fallen angel. And this angel harbors many earthly desires. The angelic quality in Earthbound comes through vividly because of Anderson's choice to showcase the celeste. (The celeste, a keyboard instrument in which the hammers strike metal bars instead of strings, is often used in classical repertoire to lend a heavenly or magical quality. Probably one of the better-known examples is in Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker). Blended with cellos, basses and unusual percussion sounds that he creates himself at his Roland workstation, the music projects an ominous image worthy of the subject matter.


Rob Anderson's influence from classical masters of musical magic such as Debussy, Bartok and Saint-Saens is apparent in his choice of uncommon harmonies like the heptatonic scale and other symmetrical constructions which tend to be musically unstable. His avoidance of traditional diatonic scales seems a natural choice to represent a being that is free to move from one world to another. As in his previous release, Trial by Fire, Anderson commands a much larger ensemble sound. He transitions effortlessly from solo to full orchestra. The final track, Sanctuary, is in the style of a baroque canon. He employs a Bach-like chamber orchestra in a concerto grosso complete with figured bass, viola da gamba and organ, and the requisite 17th century solo instruments.