| Most people who have followed SOFT WATCH from it's early
days must know I have a soft spot for this group, and this release in
no way diminishes my liking for them. Some of the raw fire has gone,
but the passion's still there. The "Marine Face" starts with
"Les Tisseuses Lunaires" moves slowly through electronics
& reverse drums into one of their most ethereal pieces, the heavily
dramatic Classical flavour here robed in passions swelling up from the
very land itself - darkly morbid, colourfully beautiful, this is a lightweight
song full of shadows & tears. Vocal harmonies a-plenty, bordering
on the hysterical. "Émeraude" combines their acoustic guitars
& recorder to create a Medieval tune, light & fresh with a New
Age calm to it. Hard drums join it to bring the whole sound out into
a larger, more complete, warmer tune with a head-held-high victorious
feel to it. It builds up in intensity, yet keeps the passive-yet-passionate
ambience. "Bleumarine" again sees this group visting a sort
of Traditional music area with several female vocalists layering their
tones to the simplistic plucking, strumming background with warm string
sections adding to the overall sound. The "Aérienne Face"
opens with "Acquarello", is built on a rough & raw drum
pattern with the vocalists' varying colours & strengths entwining
around each other like rampant ivys climbing a sky-scraping tower, launching
themselves on almost tangible sinews, defying the calming gravity of
the acoustic guitars, earthy drums & harmonic keyboards. "Vitrage"
has one of the vocalists surfing along on a rolling wave of simple instrumentation,
the guitar providing a helter skelter cascade of silvery sounds, all
built into a passionate but lightweight song. "Nocturnal"
closes the album, again descending into their darker, warmer past, a
journey through the welcoming womb-like catacombs of memory, a place
alive with feeling. ATARAXIA again manage to create a music combining
emotion, drama & beautiful music. Their hearts reach into a distant
past & bring lost feelings into the world of today. This release
comes in a cloth bag & has a 24-page booklet of assorted images
& words. |
| In the past I've seen this group compared
to CLANNAD and ENYA, so I was a trifle hesitant to play
"Arazzi", their third and latest cassette
album. It proves you can't believe everything you read
(hey, you don't need to swallow this if you so choose!)
because ATARAXIA are lyrically and musically darker than
those mentioned above. A more aggressive DEAD CAN DANCE,
perhaps, or an Industrial BROTHERS GRIMM?
"Arazzi"'s attractive packaging (the cassette
comes in a fastenable cloth with a booklet of (Italian)
words and images) is a testament to the detail that the
trio incorporate in their music. This cassette possesses
more of a Medieval sound than "Nosce Te Ipsum",
an influence that is used cleverly by the group not as
the final product but as a stepping stone to further and
darker realms. "Arazzi" is simply excellent -
forget preconceptions - abandon yourself to sea and sky. |