
Karhide is the solo project of Tim Waterfield. He has been busy, spending a year on the road travelling to places such as South Korea, Botswana, China and Canada. During that time, he has composed two EPs, one of which is All Lost, All Gone. I thought of combining the reviews but they stand alone and I didn’t want to compare and contrast the two. Their only links, in my opinion, are that they were created during the same time period and by Tim.
All Lost, All Gone is a 5-track EP with a duration of 23 minutes. A quick listen but it’s packed with imagination and many layers. It’s definitely a soundtrack to Karhide’s travels filled with wonder, contemplation and adventure.
The EP starts with, ‘Remember to Build’. It’s an ambient and epic start that soon fills the heart and lifts it up. Reminded me a lot of Hammock. Its soldiering beat moves the track forward at a steady pace.
‘Circumstance’ is a mix of light and heavy with multiple layers throughout. The heavy parts are grand and haunting.
The third track, ‘Falling Sky’ is one of my favourites. Its start is ambient, dreamy and spacey. I loved, what seemed to be, added reverb on the quieter layers. Lots happening in this track. I found it to be a quiet explosion of infinite sound. The small changes in this track were great.
‘Len’ begins with playful electronic sounds and rhythm. I felt like I was in a forest with this one. A great beat starts, heavy in its tone. Great change here as well at the halfway mark.
The EP then ends with the title track, ‘All Lost, All Gone’. This is also one of my favourites. It starts with cool electronic layers and then the beat starts. I found the sounds crunchy as if I could reach out and grab the sound waves between my fingers. The tone was menacing but in a good way. For some reason, this track reminded me of the theme song used in the TV drama, The Sopranos, ‘Woke up this morning’ by Alabama 3. The tracks almost share the same tempo and the two conjured up the same feeling: anticipation.
This is a great album and a quick listen. Great listened to with or without headphones, any time of day.