Ethan Rose, Oaks

Since most ambient music is the result of juxtaposing found sounds by electronic means, it's easy to get lost in metaphor when describing the music. That's not the case with Ethan Rose's Oaks. Rose has for years scoured his Portland, Oregon environs for ancient musical instruments, which he then reassembles via computer into collages that hint at past lives, memories and ghosts.

For his 2006 album, Ceiling Songs, Rose sampled music boxes, player pianos and carillons, creating an eerie soundtrack that overcame the genre's penchant for weightlessness. Similarly, Oaks reflects Rose's fascination with Portland's Oak Park Roller Rink Wurlitzer Theater Organ. Rose helped repair the 1920s-era organ, which was originally used at Portland's Broadway Theater to accompany silent films. Knowing the source of Oaks 'sounds doesn't lessen its beauty or dampen its sense of mystery. There are no literal organ notes used; instead, Rose relies on treated templates that recall symphony orchestras ("On Wheels Rotating"), warbling guitars and bell-like synth tones ("Rising Waters") and guitar feedback fed through a Leslie organ cabinet ("Scenes from When"). One song melts into the next, one atmosphere rises while a previous one recedes. It's all rather spooky and numbing — as if the ghost has escaped the machine.