Ryan Pollie - "Museum at the End of Time"

During our recent conversation on the Look At My Records! podcast, Los Angeles based musician Ryan Pollie shared that he first got into meditation and mindfulness in high school thanks to a teacher who held extra-curricular study hall sessions on these practices. He’s incorporated these exercises into his life for some time now, but after borrowing a Prophet analog synthesizer from a friend last year, he began experimenting and tinkering with what would become his first collection of meditative ambient recordings. Released last month via Perpetual Doom, Museum at the End of Time is 16 minutes of pure serotonin thanks to its rich and calming synth-driven instrumentation that ebbs and flows to create a soothing ocean of calm. 

The repetitive and cyclical nature of the grooves and melodies on the album has the meditative effect of clearing the mind of clutter. The songs on Museum at the End of Time are designed to create an inward-facing experience, and as such, Pollie injects extended periods of stillness in between these heightened melodic and rhythmic moments to allow listeners to delve deeper inside their own minds. The record’s early stages are dense and flush, characterized by expansive, reverberated synths and sounds that seem to mimic the recitation of mantras. Towards the end of the record, the synths become gauzier, as Pollie slowly peels back their textures for a bit of a comedown, adding background noises that resemble a cross between the pitter-patter of raindrops and the crackling of dying fire embers. It’s a perfectly guided trip through a maze of relaxation. 

Pollie also released a trippy visual piece to accompany Museum at the End of Time, which was designed by video synthesis artists Nichole and Paul Pichon to specifically match the music. In my own experience with Museum at the End of Time, I found it best to watch the visual piece in conjunction with the record. You can stream it via YouTube below!

You can purchase Museum at the End of Time on limited edition cassette via Perpetual Doom. You can also snag a digital download via Bandcamp. Keep up with Pollie by following him on Instagram and liking him on Facebook.

To learn more about Pollie and the process behind making the album, check out our in depth conversation in Episode 156 of Look At My Records!