The varied compositions found on Living Planet by Dan Pound, an ambient artist whose work deserves greater attention, are stitched together mixes of ambient flows. The opening track, “Birth of a Planet,” spills out of a perceived void that begins a machine, which can be heard as the track progresses. It turns into a hybrid Tangerine Dream production as if TD were producing a 'feel good' meditative ambient album, yet maintaining a Tomita flavour with its synthesized music. Eerie, determined, and empty, with hints of vocalizations elicit a ghostly, machine-like determination.
The album moves on to “Dawn of Man” as the theme of the album begins to take shape. The music continues to be progressively shifting, using shades of movie soundtrack-like music to create a sense of involvement, drawing the listener into an unfolding drama. As each new track arrives and diminishes, you are aware that voices pay a large part in this full production. Whether intended as a suggestion of engineered creation by either a being or machine, the voices are prominent and provide a focal point throughout Living Planet.
“Monolith,” the album's third track, is quite rhythmic and shamanic, giving the impression of a machine in full operation and yet with a designed purpose. The remaining three tracks forges through as the creation of a planet and its subsequent population are thematically played out in the music
Each track averages around ten minutes each, with a few extending beyond that, and one just below that time. There is no denying the influences here that range from Tangerine Dream, a band that has influenced most, if not all ambient artists, Tomita, Steve Roach, and other, lesser known masters of ambient music.
The goal of all ambient music is to become a complete creation that takes the listener on an intended trip, whether pleasant, frightful, or curative. Living Planet reveals the importance of Dan Pound as an ambient artist of note. He has a masterpiece in his soul just waiting to happen.
