Craven Faults - Sidings (2026)
Sidings sits right on the line between immersion and inertia for me. I like the idea of it more than I’m pulled into it every time. The modular patterns are patient, grounded, and clearly thought through, and there’s a real sense of geography and motion — this isn’t ambient drift, it’s ambient with intent. But the album plays its hand very conservatively. Once I’ve settled into its rhythm, I know more or less exactly how the next stretch will behave. It’s solid, well-crafted, and respectable, but it rarely pushes itself into that zone where atmosphere turns into obsession.
Pros
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Strong sense of place – Feels mapped to landscape and movement rather than abstract mood.
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Controlled, warm sound design – Modular tones are human and grounded, never sterile.
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Good long-form discipline – Repetition is purposeful, not lazy.
Cons
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Limited payoff – Few moments that feel like real arrivals or emotional lifts.
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Narrow emotional range – Calm and contemplative, but rarely gripping.
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Replay ceiling – Once familiar, it doesn’t reveal many new angles.
Genre: Ambient Techno
Country: UK
Final Verdict: 69% (Very Good Album)
Yearly Ranking: 9th / 63
Highlight: Stoneyman
Made me think of:
Biosphere
Pantha du Prince
Klaus Schulze
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