Stena is the second album by Matchess the ambient music project of Whitney Johnson. this album may or may not be inspired by looking at Stena Line cruise ships, this review enjoys an imagined journey on the good Stena cruise ship Matchess, possibly in search of the ancient rune on the albums cover.
The album opens with Biskopskulla Hogstena the cruise liner glacially glides out of the harbour with long sustained strings tugging you towards the vast ocean, before you land recedes slowly, deeper waters beckon, a child runs along the dragging a stick across the railings, you gaze at the blue horizon, a Dew Of Sickly Sentiment taints the atmosphere.
You go down below into your luxuriant cabin you've selected the pillows that allow you to sleep In The Bed Of Ivy the swooshing lulling you into a deep slumber, where you dream of having adventures with Klara Kyrka and her church going friends who get disrupted by the engines kicking into gear, subtle interference disturbs your dreams as the foghorn bells ring out is there danger in the fog of the deep.
You hear other guests whispering about a Death In Trafo (Or The Crater) but the pump organ tonal shifts make it unclear if this death is real, you may have wanted to see the scene where the battle of Trafalgar took place, but things were getting more opaque, still you threw some flowers overboard to remember all the victims hoping to escape through the straits of Gibraltar as water gently laps against the ship.
Fuzzy guitar insists you still Existe feedbacking rumbling engines, officious young man checking his DB meter before checking the sonar ranges gazing at the coast, go see the barbary apes, while you cruise by the rock of Gibraltar storm clouds rage above you.
Weird things happen In Sleep on board the good ship Matchess voices cry out from the depths calling you to Estepona, if that will ever happen, more nightmare than peaceful night, when will that storm break. The radio cackles a faint distress signal, they pull those lines in. On the edges of the coast by Motril you can see in the far distance a fountain and a small boy throwing his three Coins into the fountain, hoping for better luck and clearer future when melody laughter is no longer stuck inside his head, he dreams of how it could have been a pleasure then.
The album closes with DNA Repair a workshop in Almeria trying to get to the tonal essence of human obsession, water gently caresses the beach, the tones slowly enhance the corrupted DNA making it whole once more.
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