Review: Ben Seretan & John Thayer - Sunbeam of No Illusion (AKP Recordings)

Ambient from the peatside fire place to the open fields of New York state, be under no illusion, this album is a beautiful sunbeam on your soul with Ben Seretan & John Thayer's debut album!

This album has been on our radar since the Oscilloscope album 'There Is Always Darkness, There Is Always Light' came out (see review HERE) and then the "complimentry", Manu Delago & Max ZT whilst this duo has a plethora of instrutments compared to the previously mentioned: Ben Seretan (Fender Rhodes Piano, Moog Matriarch, Juno 106, Supro Lap Steel, Lowrey Organ, Teenage Engineering KOII, Electric Guitar, Guitar Pedals (Assorted)) and Jake Thayer (Lexicon Prime Time, Delta Labs Effectron II, Crystal Rattles, Temple Block, Brushes, Grass Shakers, Field Recordings, Digitakt, Modular Synthesizer, Tape Echo, Tascam Porta Studi)

There might be some found sound in there too as this album draws on the natural beauty of upstate New Yourk where they live and  is said to be "postmodern pastoral" influenced by poet Richard Bautigan to Harold Budd.  This is Thayer and Seretan's first official collaboration on record; even though they've performed together many thimes since 2023.   

All of the tracks have this loopy reflective ellegance that's drawn from the early Kraut-synth evolution of Edgar Froses / Klause Schulze / Tangerine Dream as formatted as 'ambient' by ENO.  Here they've tinkered with jazzy Rhodes lounge, like the single 'Watermelon Well' and 'Peat Fire' (that's more 'smouldering' than 'fire') but you know they've come from the Brian Eno, Terry Riley (who influenced the intros to both 'Tubular Bells' by Mike Oldfield and The Who's 'Baba O'Rilley': now there's a claim to fame) and Hiroshi Yoshimura 'school'.

It's a shame some of the shorty tracks aren't longer, like 'Stradella Bass System' but that's me just being gready.  

So, to mis-quote someone, this is gentle on your mind, particularly 'Memory Garden' with moving from yoga bowl sound meditation to space whispering synths and lap steel countryside (as in fields, not C&W), as its intriguing and relaxing at the same time.

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER: Sunbeam of No Illusion | Ben Seretan & John Thayer

Artist:  Ben Seretan & John Thayer 

Title: Sunbeam of No Illusion
Release date: 27th March, 2026
Label : AKP Recordings
Catalog Number  AKP044
Format:  Digital / BANDCAMP