Studies have shown that walking a labyrinth has similar effects on the brain as meditation, activating the right side of the brain, causing the person walking it to feel calm, relaxed and at peace. The act of walking a labyrinth gives the left hemisphere of the brain a rest, allowing the less rational, more intuitive hemisphere to take over.
Recently I decided to test this for myself, and while I didn’t reach any higher truths or a state of utmost sublimity, I must admit that it is true—I felt calm. Balanced. The best way I know how to adequately describe the experience is by listening to Ernest Greene aka Washed Out’s first full-length album, Within and Without which was released officially today.
Spacious and wraithlike, the album is polished and gleaned to synthtastic perfection. The album opens with “Eyes Be Closed,” a track that instantly launches you into 0-gravity where you will blissfully float around for the entirety of the album. The album travels through several different dimensions of a chillwave universe. Songs such as the title track manage to wriggle into your body through your ears and hollow you out, leaving you feeling inexplicably buzzed.
The album as a whole is strong; it rarely pulls you out of its hypnosis. It’s discreetly but undeniably captivating. Greene is an artist to say the least and this is a masterpiece.
Tracklist
1. Eyes Be Closed
2. Echoes
3. Amor Fati
4. Soft
5. Far Away
6. Before
Before
7. You and I
8. Within and Without
9. A Dedication
10. Call It Off (Bonus Track)
