While views on the health of the Irish music dance scene may vary, there's no doubt that it’s impact and influence have diminished somewhat. Still Rivers At Night is unlikely to change that.
The main inspiration behind the influential 90s outfit Hyper(borea) and a filmmaker to boot, Bickley is well thought of in ambient/electronica circles both here and abroad. If that particular scene isn’t your bag, however, Still Waters At Night might prove a tricky record to get into. Not because it’s particularly challenging, but because it is designed to surround rather than to engage.
As with most ambient music, on the surface at least nothing much seems to be going on. There’s no vocals, no hooks, no identifiable song structures. Once you accept that this is more about sound than songwriting per se, it is an eminently pleasant listen – but it’s not the kind of thing that we’ll be whacking on the sound system chez Udell very often. Still Rivers At Night might well soothe the senses, but I generally find dreamy background music underwhelming.