16 tracks. Running time 5:41:37 Wayne Higgins – aka Oenyaw – is a fan of Douglas Adams, hence the title A Party of One at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe is a nod to the author. The album is volume 8 of electronic realisations for guitar and computer which is a series of hardcore ambient works each of epic length running to several hours. Because of this each disc is actually MP3 rather than standard audio CD. Most tracks are comprised of extended drones with small gradual changes noticeable through careful listening. On “3 a.m. Cab Ride From the Airport to the Hotel” drones reverb like the electrical hum from power cables while treated guitar licks are just discernible in the background like unlit buildings. In contrast to the majority of tracks “The Pumpkin Girl” is a much more accessible, and fairly short, piece. Light delicate tones brush across the soundscape against a spinning drone. The drone then builds in intensity and strange guitar refrains add further strangeness to the atmosphere. Oenyaw describes the overall theme as “portraits of solitude”. That's the impression I get from this album and his others; it's as though we're seeing the world from a solitary perspective. Though not dark per se there's a heaviness to the music due to the often hard edged, sometimes astringent, drones. On “Deadalus” tones sounding like distorted and metallic cello quiver in a snaking embrace with other resonant tones. These fade off giving way to slowly pulsing and visceral drones which in turn develop, at one point creating a fat echoey feel like being inside a cavern. As ever Oenyaw's music is best suited to putting on in the background, especially when some tracks are album length. A Party of One at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe even goes for a long title too.