Jim Kirkwood – Middle Earth (2004)

February 1, 2021

Jim Kirkwood is something of a father to the dungeon synth world. His compositions bridge the gap between electronic soundtrack music and even – dare I say the buzz word – Berlin school kinda synth fuckery, but its the Tolkien inspired backdrop to these fantastical compositions that really is the icing on the cake.

Middle Earth is a long album. I took it out with me and walked a few miles with my dog, burnt a Cuban stick, and marvelled as the autumn leaves fell. By the time I got home, I was a little over half way through, but it felt like I’d been exploring the mountainside for hours like some mad vagrant. I found out later that this was a compilation of the earliest releases, so was even happier to have given it my time.