It is not often that an ambient track can be pulled off well with a beat. I, personally, really enjoy the Steve Reich and Squarepusher sounds--wide open ambience with no beats necessary. However, in this case, I can certainly make an exception.
One aspect of this song that made it so successful was, in fact, the beat. Not too often can indie electronic artists really grasp making a "real" sounding drum kit out of a drum machine. Sivak, however, pulls it off very nicely. He even switches up with different, transitional beats to accentuate his structuring in the song as well. Being a percussionist for almost ten years now myself, I found this song's kit to be very appealing musically.

In addition to stellar drum kit work, I enjoyed the sounds. Everything harmonized quite well and the melodies used were pretty catchy. Ambient does not always have to be meditative, dark, or abstract. Ambient music should usually define a three-dimensional atmosphere and try to portray it through sound and structure. This song accomplishes that in a very melodic, positive manner. And again, the melodies were quite lovely and kept my attention throughout.

In the midst of all the things to enjoy in this track, I did find one slight imperfection. First, the pads that come in at :49 are just a pinch too loud in comparison to the other sounds. Had they been but .7 dB softer or just a tad more, they would have fit perfectly. I find that if one sound overpowers the piece, the track can lose its effect entirely. Other sounds in the piece are not even a pinch too loud. As a result, that nice drum set does not sound perfectly clear in some segments. The levels are certainly good--do not get me wrong. However, the sound levels are not "perfect" yet, which can detract from a song's integrity and overall appeal.

Those statements are merely my personal opinions. Generally speaking, aside from some level issues, this song is truly a success. If listeners are searching for more optimistic, charismatic music from the ambient genre, then Sivak Drac's "Despina" is definitely a good starting point.

Score: 8.8 out of 10