Gentle sounds of a flowing river introduce "Seasons Turn Like Pages", a naturalistic collection of songs from Saapato, the ambient music project of New York–based sound artist Brendan Principato. This field recording of water is eventually married with lush synths and ambient textures, though neither ever overtakes the other.
Principato seems to view the music of nature and that made by humans to be on equal footing. At least, that is how he balances them on the eight tracks here. The rhythmic splutters of indiscriminate water droplets and faint bird song sit equally alongside evolving, blissful tones on "Streambed". The rustling leaves of "Hummingbird Returns" may turn to mechanistic tremolo, but Principato doesn't rely on literal representations of nature to imbue his work with elements of the Earth. "Irises & Wild Mint" features musical ideas that spring to life before you, while the closing track "Tick" highlights the precarious aspects of time and nature by ruminating on musical structures that die off slowly and peacefully.
There is little here to challenge or overly influence the listener. Saapato cares too much about delicacy to upset his productions with anything sinisterly heady, and is not interested in firing up your synapses. Instead, the work invites you to fall into the softness of fleeting moments in your life, like floating down a river or sailing on a breeze. 7/10