Eyvind Kang
"Athlantis" CD
Ipecac Recordings
Genre: classical, experimental
June 2008 |
Dark, bizarre, and whimsical are three words to
describe Athlantis, the latest recording from Eyvind Kang
and his first for Greg Werckman and Mike Patton's Ipecac
label. In fact, former Bunglite Patton contributes his vocals
to this record, although the true vocal stars here are the members of
the Coro da Camera di Bologna. Guitar, trumpet, trombone, and a tuba
round out the rest of Athlantis' sound, which is more or less
classical, but not in a typical or particularly describable sense. The
compositions assembled here are often very dramatic, with the chorus
invoking a sense of urgency on tracks like lovely "Andegavenses" and
powerful "Iupitter." Other pieces attempt different angles; "Rabianara"
is sparse but builds tension rapidly and repetitiously, while "Repetitio"
is pretty yet uneasy. Meanwhile, the powerful articulation on "Aquilas"
seems to harken the apocalypse, and melodic "Lamentatio" makes fine use of
vocals and the sitar. Overall, this is a stunning, dark record that
evokes a powerful mood. I'm not much of a classical music critic,
but listening to Athlantis was a thoroughly enjoyable
experience for me - if you're looking for something new (and who
isn't?), this might just be for you.
80%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 12 tracks,
41:47, distributed by
the
label,
released 2007] |
