Samliku
Progwereld
February 16, 2021 by Luke Peerdeman
Electronics has a cold timbre. This quickly evokes the feeling of winter, the touch of steel and the impression of abstraction. In contrast, the electric guitar has a sentimental warmth. Just as cold and heat overflow into each other, the combination of these two instruments adds tension and movement. This makes this music almost the audio version of the autumn wind.
"Samliku" is therefore a record full of pleasant winter landscapes. The joint keyboard storm of Miguel Noya and Paul Godwin sounds icy and their cutting sound enhances the inexorably tight rhythm. The warm guitar playing of Robert Jürjendal acts as a counterforce. The temperature difference creates an inherent turmoil and tragedy, but because the structures on this album are elongated, the listener can easily let themselves be carried away by this music. In terms of style, it is reminiscent of the spatial electroprog of Ashra or Michael Hoenig. Nevertheless, this record feels more modern; the cold electronics of a Ben Frost also emerge as an association.
While the album consistently maintains this Antarctic tension, the standout songs are cleverly placed at the beginning and end. March Of The Goat Machines dazzles the view of the listener from the start. Sleek electronics beat and raw synth storms are on the borderline between annoying and intriguing. The guitar parts therefore arrive as a release. This game struggles through the increasingly inhospitable snowstorm; although in the end it has to give up the fight; the cold wins! Closing track The Guardian starts with desperate guitar sounds that are quickly blown away by a keyboard wind. The atmosphere is fragile and complementary. This music also contains a pleasant oppression. A thinness that takes your breath away. However, the sequencer forces a faster tempo, after which a melancholic guitar solo provides a subtle solo. Elongated tones slowly lead the album to the end.
Only slightly less exciting is the three-part The Big Slow. The first part of this composition starts with running water and thoughtful guitar playing. The high synthesizer tones then induce goosebumps. The melodies are almost rocking. The second and third parts continue on this in a more theatrical tone. Long electronica hits let the listener anticipate a momentum and indeed the tempo is steadily increasing. The drums rattle on tirelessly; higher and higher up the mountain. At the top we find a pleasant symphonic synthesizer whirlwind. The song also has an excellent climax full of ecstatic guitar work. It is difficult to find a negative point with these kinds of excellent compositions.
“Samliku” is therefore a pearl that floats on the excellent interaction between the three gentlemen. The music contains evocative sounds that alternate between cold and warm tones. Certain compositions are just a bit more impressive than others, but nevertheless the album does not fail. The feeling of having discovered a forgotten masterpiece prevails. This is an addictive record!
Mauris id fermentum nulla. Aliquam bibendum, turpis eu mattis iaculis, ex lorem mollis sem, ut sollicitudin risus orci quis tellus.
ETernal return “once only”
BY PAUL DEVENNY - FEBRUARY 15, 2021
Eternal Return have been introduced as a ‘new international progressive ensemble’, described as a super-group on the basis that the combined talents of the five-piece formed from various duos/trios that have previously recorded and toured together.
The group includes Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree, No-Man, O.R.k.) on bass along with his frequent collaborator, Estonian guitarist Robert Jürjendal (Toyah Wilcox, Fripp’s Crafty Guitar School), as well as Berlin-based Venezuelan Miguel Toro on drums (Royal Dust) and the duo of Miguel Noya, (Venezuelan keyboard pioneer, Phantom Limb Recordings) and Paul Godwin, (California-based composer/singer and NEWdOG founder) both also known for their work as Dogon, a widely celebrated ambient group.
With Steven Wilson appearing to move further away from his progressive rock leanings Colin Edwin may have been tempted to steer his next musical offering in a direction closer to what Porcupine Tree fans might be looking for to plug their increasing void of new Porcupine Tree music. However, he has clearly resisted such a temptation by associating himself with a more ambient project, the blueprint of which is referenced as Talk Talk’s Spirit of Eden, David Sylvian and This Mortal Coil.
To gain a sense of what Eternal Return are offering, think deep electronic textures with dark melodies. Expect percussive beats and cymbal splashes rather than drum rolls with cymbal crashes, think droning e-bow affected guitar sounds rather than traditional chord strums or occasional guitar solos.
Opening track ‘Nomad’ features Paul Godwin’s lead vocals which are in turn accompanied by his own whispered backing vocal interjections giving an indication of some This Mortal Coil influence. Subsequent track ‘The Void’ gently builds an instrumental atmosphere before vocals surprisingly drop in halfway through the piece. The band’s style is not a standard verse chorus approach but suggests the tracks were developed with a shared imagery in mind.
‘The Triggering Town’ conjures The Blue Nile with it’s horn sounds ringing out over a lush jazzy relaxing vibe – Sunday morning listening with vocal phrasing reminiscent of a No-Man offering. Next up the instrumental ‘A Medium-Sized Village’ contains a slow glockenspiel ringing sound accompanied by percussive textures and an overlay of guitar sonic effects.
‘The Bottom of the Pond’ sees a lift in pace and volume – this could easily have been the albums climactic end piece. It is easy to imagine this track being the one chosen by the band to bring any future live sets to a successful and dramatic close.
Finally, ‘The Sky’ closes the album with their most traditional sounding song of the sextet, which includes string effects sweeping as if in the wind over acoustic guitar strumming to give this debut album a calming finish.
At less than 32:00 minutes of play time across the 6 tracks offered some may be left feeling hard done by in the value for money department and not quite fulfilled. However, it may be worth considering that the sort of quality offered here is comparable to what you get from a high-end, high cocoa content chocolate bar – knowing you can over indulge on something this rich, perhaps this appetising small-bite, well-crafted portion is just the right amount needed to fully appreciate the silkiness and complexity of the product, and will whet your appetite for the prospect for any subsequent refined segments which might be offered by Eternal Return in the future.
Echoes and Dust
(((O))) REVIEW: ROBERT JÜRJENDAL – WATER FINDS A WAY
by Zachary Nathanson | February 22, 2021 | Reviews
Robert Jürjendal continues to take his music further by going through the horizontal landscapes. Whether it’s collaborating with Sandor Szabo, Markus Reuter, Jon Durant, or Colin Edwin, his textures are flying towards these unbelievable structures that are hallucinated landscapes. That and his latest album on the NEWdOG label entitled Water Finds a Way, sees Robert going into the rivers of time and finding the search for peace underneath the salty waters.
He uses his custom-built electric guitar that has a fully equipped system that contains a sustainer pickup that gives him a chance to create these long sustained notes. Unlike his previous work on Lihtminevik / Simple Past from the Strangiato label where he collaborated with drummer Andrus Lillepea that had a rocking sound, Water Finds a Way is like a family scrapbook.
With a little help from his wife Signe on vocals, the cover art done by his daughter Lotte, and his son Anti on cello, not to mention Venezuelan keyboardist Miguel Noya, it is a spiritual journey to find your inner self and how you can be free from the past and present whilst moving into the future.
While the spirit of Terje Rypdal is in Robert’s heart, the music is this strange combination between mournful arrangements, medieval, spaghetti western, folk, and classical meets Thelonious Monk’s arrangements, minimal, and parallel surfaces. But listening to Water Finds a Way, it is a story that is brought to life. There are moments on this album that are sad, exquisite, and deep inside a cavernous location.
Several of these moments Robert channels Terry Riley, Philip Glass’ Music in Twelve Parts, and Steve Reich. Jürjendal understands the minimal arrangements very well because he doesn’t want to copy-cat the three composers, but keeping it very tight and never letting go. Like I’ve mentioned earlier, Water Finds a Way is a family scrapbook brought to life. It can be challenging for the first time, but it will grow on you to see where Robert takes his listeners to be a part of his passageway of peace and relaxation.