CD Feature/ Aranos: "Koryak Mistress stakes Golden Sky"
TobiasAs the piece develops very short gasps of noise appear. They vary in colour with each burst. At times the pulsing is rhythmic at others they are more random. Bell like tones swell up from under the drones, sounding as if they have been treated with an old spring reverb. The bass resembles the hum of machinery, at times bringing to mind heavy duty equipment with menacing power and momentum. This sound fades after a while and jittery strings buzz and dart around in the space left without the low end anchor. A drum punctuates this busy panic-stricken mood, and then the low sounds begin again.
These sounds seem to repeat throughout the piece, but each time they appear they have mutated a little, having their tonality tweaked and tweezed into a slightly different form. The layers of sound, spiralling in the stereo field, sometimes sway gently from side to side, at others they dart around, spitting out dry, crunchy granules of sound. Sometimes these events move into the foreground, revealing strange digital artefacts in the processing whilst also maintaining an organic feel.
Throughout the sounds are overlayed in a way which could potentially lead the listeners attention in several directions; complex rhythmic patterns flutter between the ears when listened to on headphones, short explosions pierce the calm, the drones build and recede.
The last part of the piece features violins and viola playing a simple repeating motif which is left fairly dry and untreated, but which is made to become deliciously hypnotic with it's placement and movement of each instrument between the left and right.
Composition is in one movement; division into parts is possible but rather superfluous." This is a quote from the press given with the record. This piece is not so much about melody as it is about a body of sound, and how it's colours may shift and affect the listener. This record deserves and rewards repeated listens.
By Barry Cullen. Visit Barry at his Dodgy Stereo Blog.
Homepage: Aranos
Homepage: Pieros Records
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