Album Review: Vapor Polvo Vol II by Various Artists
Released in 2012 under Chile’s Organic Acoustic Netlabel, Vapor Polvo Vol II is a sprawling exploration of electronic music that dips its toes into experimental, drone, ambient, dark ambient, and post-rock styles. It’s not your typical playlist fodder—this album demands attention, patience, and maybe even a dimly lit room to fully absorb its atmospheric depth.
The artwork, crafted by Gonzalo de Lara Yañez (who also produced the record), sets the tone perfectly with its abstract visuals. And props to Atrio Serenade for mastering—it’s crisp yet hauntingly raw, letting each track breathe without over-polishing it.
Now, onto the tracks. There are eight total, but two really stuck with me. First up is “Sky Plateau.” This one kicks things off on an ethereal note, blending soft drones with faint melodic undertones. You can almost picture yourself standing atop some otherworldly cliff, staring into infinity. It feels vast, lonely, and strangely comforting all at once. The subtle shifts in texture keep you hooked; just when you think nothing’s happening, something new sneaks in. That’s the beauty of this genre—it rewards listeners who pay attention.
Then there’s “Brain Meltdown,” which lives up to its name. If “Sky Plateau” was meditative, this one’s chaotic—but in the best way possible. Imagine glitchy synths colliding with distorted echoes while a slow, pulsating rhythm anchors everything together. It’s disorienting but oddly satisfying, like your brain trying to process too many thoughts at once. I found myself hitting replay just to catch details I missed the first time around.
Other tracks like “Childhood” and “Astral Journey” offer their own unique vibes, but these two stood out because they felt like polar opposites—one serene, the other frenetic—and showcased the range of emotions this album can evoke.
What makes Vapor Polvo Vol II special isn’t just its sound design or production quality; it’s how unapologetically niche it is. This isn’t background music for dinner parties—it’s music that asks you to sit down, shut up, and listen. In a world obsessed with quick hits and instant gratification, albums like this remind us why taking our time matters.
Oh, and here’s a random thought: if aliens ever visit Earth and ask us what human creativity sounds like, we should probably hand them this album. They might not understand it, but hey, neither do most humans—and that’s kinda the point.
