New Zealand soundscape composer Rudy Adrian's 18th full length album and his 8th release on the Spotted Peccary label could be construed as exactly what the title says- 'A Walk in the Shadow Garden.' That is, neither bright as day, nor obscured by darkness but somewhere in-between. Opening with the title track we have some atmospheric guitar chords, a skittering synth and some light pads, keeping the intro rather minimal but definitely setting a mood. If I didn't tell you the name of the next track was "Clouds Over Fields" you might have guessed it anyway as dark synth swathes move over lighter synth pads occasionally blotting out the sun and shading the terrain below. It feels like a moment frozen in time, or like it could go on forever, but nothing lasts forever. There was some mention in the promo material of the percussive trilling in "Dawn Redwood" alluding to the hammering of a woodpecker's beak. In actuality that sounds only vaguely suggestive while the total ambience of this piece does suggest natural activity of some sort of life. "Hemlock Grove" was the title of a Netflix horror series but here there is no horror, just pure, placid ambient delight. There's more mystery afoot in "Of Mosses and Liverworts" and maybe even some clinking, tinkling magic as it unfolds.

As we head deeper into the Shadow Garden, the landscape appears more colorful, and those mushrooms are starting to look quite tasty. Do I or don't I want to consume them? Deadly nightshade or psilocibin dreams...I'll opt for the latter, thank you very much. Good think I know my fungi. In the "Maple Glen" time seems to stand still, and through the "Rising Mist" we see the garden has bloomed into a wonderland of astonishing vegetation and sonic delights. Submerged in "Dark Waters" a multitude of secrets hide in plain sight, for those adventurous enough to explore them, but the real gems come alive in "Perchance to Dream," where our innermost desires can be realized through our imagination. The "Conversation with a Gardener" may not reveal the secrets of a green thumb, but it will give you a healthy respect for growing living things, and who can argue with that? With 'A Walk in the Shadow Garden' Mr. Adrian has created the perfect ambient album in the true sense of the word, not just the music genre. I don't think anyone can argue with that either.