I enjoyed listening to the music of this electronic music group CIRRUSAKA. Yes it’s all caps as that’s how they present themselves. They’re on bandcamp now. I like bandcamp as it is a great way to introduce your music across platforms. The fact that it has WordPress support makes it awesome. Now CIRRUSAKA is not your typical indie band trying to get their music across for the first time. These are musicians who have already collaborate with different groups and have released their music as solo artists. You can hear the level of discipline and mastery in every execution of instruments in this album.
The opening track Knocknarea is a bit fast. I get that floating and flying feeling when I listen to this music. Everything about the album sparks of clarity and smoothness. Thanks to the meticulous sound engineering. Owning your copy of this album brings about a superb listening experience. The style also reminds me of Jon Anderson and Vangelis, with a little touch of Tangerine Dream. Life’s Mountain showcases the haunting vocals of Ross Ackerman who is from New Zealand. You need to check out the remixed version of that same track at the end of the album for a taste of something haunting and captivating( Clare McCarthy did a great job with the keyboards. The arrangement reminds me of parting clouds and wind blowing through thatched roof).
Sean McCarthy and Ross Ackerman did a great job in making the tracks cohesive throughout the album. It’s like reading an epic poem or reading a classic novel where all chapters are finely woven, and nothing sticks out like a sore thumb. Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam which has a great intro and narration. Nicholas Roberts narrated The Rubaiyat. His voice is what Sean McCarthy referred to as Burtonesque (after the late Richard Burton).
CIRRUSAKA is a collaboration of musicians from New Zealand and Ireland. They have created this amazing album which celebrates clarity, the beauty of sounds, melodies and atmosphere. There are 8 with an average of 10 minutes per song. This is geared towards those who just want to relax and unwind after a long day. Or those who simply appreciate beautiful music.
Every track of Ox Cohen is like a portal into another world. You don’t know what to expect when you open it. And in every track lies its own Jack in the Box. There are strange and mesmerizing sounds that happen within the span of the track. Tri Axis Triple Works is an album about voyage within and into space. The use of experimental rock calls to mind Vangelis and Tangerine Dream with the melodic beauty of Yes.
I think this is the kind of album you would like to listen to in your bedroom while staring at the ceiling for an hour. It really takes you away. Tracks like Cloud Voyage and Refinder really do their job in transporting you into an electronic sound scape that moves forward. Gem Highway almost has that Flock of Seagulls 80s synth vibes. Coupled with hypnotic beats, everything swirls as if in colored lights. You can sample most of his music here: http://www.banguskahnmusic.com/music/
Tri Axis Triple Works sounds like a taster of what’s more to come from this classically trained musician from Chicago.
Bio:
Ox Cohen artist born in St. Louis and raised in Chicago began his music training at age thirteen learning the basics of Blues and Heavy Metal to start and later expanding into Jazz and Classical throughout the years as he had gone to Music High School and College. Later played in several bands. The band experience was semi-professional, one of which was mainly a grunge/alternative influenced one and the other a metal band. Then as time had passed Ox Cohen became more into composing, although he had written throughout the time period. In the last seven to ten years became more enamored with computer recording, the keyboard as well as the cello and fusing guitar within the synthesized instruments. Ox Cohen is a big fan of a lot of the Hard Rock and Progressive Rock bands coming from the Seventies as well as the bands of the Alternative movement of the Nineties yet as well influenced by many other genres including the Sixties and Classical music. He hopes that listeners can appreciate his music and hopes it will bring a healing effect when it is possible.
In this edition: Erotic Market ,Whodoes album review, B3nny(past recordings) and Sacha Talens.
Write about what you know. More writers fail because they try to write about things they don’t know than for any other reason.
—William S. Burroughs, “A Review of the Reviewers”
Album Review: Dolphins in the Sky by Whodoes
Dolphins in the Sky is an ambient album composed of 11 instrumental tracks that soar (and swim). The project is composed/performed and recorded by Greek musician Vasilis Chountas (under the moniker Whodoes) who spent ample time mastering the craft of expanding the sound of the guitar using multi-effects pedals, and convert it into other musical instruments.
The album is divided into two parts. It is space music sans the percussion in the first half. The tracks have this maritime feel hence the theme of the album. It is more like urban meets nature kind of concept. I usually play the album and let the time pass by watching the ceiling oblivious to the comings and goings of the world outside. This is the recording you’d want if you are avoiding the intrusion of songs with lyrics. He doesn’t make ‘sweet’ tunes. These are the kind that you hear being played in TV shows when cars or trains depart under the rain. They maintain that balance between sci-fi and the realistic. More like Blade Runner by Vangelis with faint traces of Pink Floyd.
5PM is probably one of the standout tracks in the first half of the album with its gradual change of chords and build up of instrumentation. The cello-like sound you hear all over is due to the use of a violin bow over guitar strings. The tracks gradually build up into pulsing beats with occasional striking guitar wails. There are times you hear sounds of the ocean like in track 5 called “Waves.” Vasilis did this sparingly as rhythmic beats and gossamer layers of instruments are given more emphasis. “Why” Has an ethnic feel to it. This is one of his compositions that is very Greek emphasizing on ancient scales.
There are surprises here. It starts with track 9 called “Looking Around” with its radio friendly beats and melodies. Track ten has a near industrial rock feel but still wrapped in the atmosphere that is all over the album. Whodoes will appeal to collectors of instrumental music for its Greek spirit and also for the ecological sounds in the recording. Dolphins in the Sky is an album that has the digital spirit of the future encoded into the protoplasm of ancient music that sloshes, pulses and breath new life into new ears. The album is produced by Kostantinos Yiotas. He also did exclusive mixing for the tracks Looking Around, Drop in the Ocean and Intro.
I am chronicling the work of Danish artist b3nny who goes by a lot of monikers including Benny Bomstærk. His real name is actually Benny Bondesgaard Pedersen. He is still wired after The Festival of Good Music this September 28. Since I am given access to his chest of compositions dating back to as early as 2004, I am taking the liberty of introducing them to you. He has other projects in soundcloud: datamatician, my potential of Hydrogen and faux pas pire.
He mentioned that maybe he should do a new soundcloud page for those… He has 3 generations (both in the generator sense, and in the evolutionary sense), and maybe it would be nice with some sort of audible history of how it evolves. A few days ago he stumbled upon a collection of lyrics he’d written as well as drawings he scribbled. I am curious about the next direction for his work.
B3nny’s work is influenced by composers like John Cage and Morton Feldman or the so-called proponents of Indeterminacy. He mixes them with sketches taken from Math rock, prog rock and space music. What you get is a crazy salad of musical ideas.
He has been drumming since the age of 7. This one has actual drumming.
Thule Nebula is something he is really proud of. I think it is amazing as well!
I am reminded of Aphex Twin. This is one of his cooler chillout tracks.
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Erotic Market – Rumblin (Official Video)
Talk about a stylish video geared towards those with 60s fetish. The erratic percussion and unique melodies can be quite erotic at times. Check them out and decide of you think they make erotic music or not.
I just receive the news that the album by Sacha Talens might not be released on its scheduled date which is the middle of October. He said “Actually BMG are trying to push the release date and change the album title so it MIGHT not be released on October 15th, or be called Zazaza bummer! but, business is business.”
I have the feeling that this is probably for the best. After all the songs have potential to appeal to a wide array of listeners. So careful planning and promotion are still needed.
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By the way…
I think I capitalize on emotions because people like me can’t write when we aren’t emotional about certain issues. There is however the danger that too much emotional exploration can lead you somewhere dark and scary. Especially when you are the type who locks himself in his bedroom for hours every day while wrestling with personal demons. Others could not hear your struggle since you turn the volume of your music up.
I am starting to go out these days. I apologize to my readers if my blogs have gotten a bit personal and has taken the light away from the topics I am posting about. But do know that everything is connected. Like I said I can only write when I feel passionate about certain issues. In this case, music since that is what I am passionate about. But I also advocate things that I consider important. I might not be too vocal about them in this blog but people in my networks especially in facebook know all about them.
In my previous article ‘Looking for the light of the world” I mentioned about the state where someone took the plug out. That is such an awful feeling. I am sure you will agree especially if you have just come out of a really destructive romantic relationship. Or the betrayal of friends whom you want to mark for life and wish they undergo a horrible disease and suffer excruciating pain before they die. Sweet 😀 People like us usually take what we can. And let things happen when they come along. Beggars can’t be choosers.
This edition is both about looking back and at the same time looking forward to the future. We have no choice when fate takes people we love away from us. All we can say in the end is: I guess that’s how it should end. But this isn’t the end. There will be days of overwhelming anger and pain. There will be days of confusion. I don’t have advice for that. But I think we just have to take what we can.
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