CLXX. Lycia | Estrella

LYCIA

Estrella

©Projekt. US, 1998.

‟The first time I heard Lycia, it was on a free sampler I received from Projekt, perhaps the premier darkwave/goth label of the 1990s, and perhaps the only label that was making a very serious attempt at following in the footsteps of esteemed British label 4AD. I don't remember what Lycia's song was, but I do remember that they sounded quite different than their labelmates, and that unlike other bands, they really didn't seem concerned about fashion or image, and the song sounded more like Aphex Twin than The Cure or This Mortal Coil. I thought their song was rather stunning and beautiful, but admittedly, I never did follow through.
Listening to the recently-reissued , the band's final album (and the first release in a Lycia reissue program), it's quite clear that Lycia was a different sort of band. The duo of Mark VanPortfleet and Tara VanFlower combined their strengths to make music that was haunting, beautiful and stunning, and in this goal, they were quite successful. Estrella found the band at a creative high, and the result was a record that lured the listener and took them into other realms of aural ecstacy. From the tribal "Tongues" to the Harold Budd-like "Clouds in the Southern Sky" and from the transcendent bliss of "Estrella" to the melancholy "The Kite," Lycia exploited the term "atmospheric" to the hilt--and the result was heavenly. Comparisons to The Cocteau Twins were and are inevitable, and while VanFlower's voice never quite reached to Liz Frasier's vocal heights--that's an impossible goal, anyway--her voice, in combination with VanPortfleet's stunning Robin Guthrie-inspired accompaniment, certainly justfied the comparison.
If you're not familiar with Lycia, Estrella is as excellent a starting point as you could find, because this record's beauty is a perfection that most bands could only dream of obtaining. Hopefully the forthcoming reissue series will illuminate this gorgeous darkwave band, and deservedly so.‟

Joseph Kyle

CXLV. Black Tape For A Blue Girl | Mesmerized By The Sirens

BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL

Mesmerized By The Sirens

©Projekt. US, 1991.

‟On Black Tape's second album, Sam Rosenthal and his rotating pool of collaborators create another fine release, much more textured and atmospheric than The Rope and more in line with the future of the band's career. While there are again a couple of songs that have a much more conventional rock air (unsurprisingly, these are the ones again featuring drummer Allan Kraut), many now embrace unconventional verse structures and eschew immediate hooks -- it's a quietly bold move that works wonders. The mix of singers (about eight all told) and instrumentation again creates a striking variety through Mesmerized, even while still maintaining an overall unity in presentation. Rosenthal's own musical voice is his work on keyboards, soft, minimal swells, sweeping orchestrations, and more all coming to the fore, especially on such solo cuts as "Dark Skinned and Inviting" and "With a Million Tears." As before, Oscar Herrera is the evocative voice at the center of key songs, most notably "A Teardrop Left Behind," a majestic, obsessive portrayal of love further fleshed out by Walter Holland's subtle acoustic guitar and Rosenthal's own strong synth arrangements. It's perhaps one of the band's most self-consciously goth efforts, but of a very Romantic (with a capital "r") bent, made all the more intriguing by its distinct two-part structure, with wordless singing matched with spoken word in the calmer conclusion. Another standout with Herrera is "Beneath the Planks," with Rosenthal's harpsichord-sounding keys and Richard Watson's clarinet providing the bed for the singer's bravura performance. The contrast between Herrera and Holland, who sings on "Lie Broken, Bleeding" is pretty clear, the latter's somewhat strained vocals not quite fitting with the album's overall flow. An amusing moment happens at the start with "Jamais Pars," where singer Sue Kenny-Smith audibly fluffs a line and laughs. It's a nice, human touch to leave in.‟

Ned Raggett

LXXXIII. Lycia | Ionia

LYCIA

Ionia

©Projekt. US, 1991.

‟This album is about human weakness and regrets. In the first track, a man see his will dragged down by a thing called "Ionia".
Even if Ionia is personified (Mike VanPorfleet is talking about her face and her grin) it doesn't suit the general mood of the album to think she is a woman. It rather reminds me a lot of Oscar wilde "I can resist everything except temptation", that Ionia must be a symbol of temptation. I'm really fond of Portfleet's vision of music and art, you can't find a single track of that man that isn't serious as hell. Poetic without being naive, depressed without being angry (which is extremely rare and almost makes his music unique), that album has all arguments of a masterpiece, despite of having been roughly produced (related to his equipment at that time). The second track without the vocals could have been on a silent hill soundtrack, and songs like "november, monsoon II" fit very well the mood of the music from "legacy of kain blood omen".
I strongly recommend this album for all the openminded music lovers out there, it's just a pity the work of that guy (moreover who has had to deal with diabetes all his career long) isn't more known. He is definitely to put among too many good artists who haven't really the popularity they deserve.‟

Dimitri Ostrovitch

 

LXXII. Judgement Of Paris | Conversion

JUDGEMENT OF PARIS

Conversion (reissue)

©Projekt: Archive. US, 2000.

‟From its opening track “Windswept” to its closer “Eleven,” Judgement of Paris’ ambitious 18-track debut juxtaposes organic and inorganic sound sources, evoking post-apocalyptic sirens, Middle Eastern textures, nursery-rhyme bells, Native American ceremony, images of medieval liturgy, and the twisted wee hours of rave ecstasy.
Using a combination of live keyboards and sequences, fretless electric bass, acoustic and electric guitars, woodwinds, hammer dulcimer, and a variety of percussion instruments, the band has produced a darkly textured and often hypnotic sound. Recorded live to DAT over a one-month period in late 1991, Conversion brings to mind such varied artists as Dead Can Dance, Fatboy Slim, David Sylvian, and early Pink Floyd.

This is obviously a young band without a definitive sound, but the resulting eclecticism coupled with a surprising compositional maturity is wonderfully intriguing. “Reign” appears to be an homage to Bach’s organ preludes. “Spheres of Influence” makes a breathtaking midstream shift from dancefloor highlife to a creamy slice of mutant bluegrass.
The tintinnabulations of the triptych “Denial (Part One),” “Denial (Part Two),” “Denial (Part Three)” shift like the images in a fun-house mirror, culminating in a dizzying mix of resonant vocals, chiming dulcimer, churning guitar and a maelstrom of keyboard sweeps and gurgles. The final result is flawed but breathtaking.‟

Sanz Lashley

LXX. Lovesliescrushing | Voirshn

LOVESLIESCRUSHING

Voirshn

©Projekt. US, 2002.

‟Lovesliescrushing returns to Projekt with a special mail-order-only release. This CD will not be available in stores. It's the second in a new series of discs from Projekt, presenting excellent music available especially for the fans via our website. This arrangement bypasses the hassle and frustration of retail and makes the music available directly to you.

On their newest album, Voirshn, Lovesliescrushing (one of the few remaining representatives of the 'shoegazer' genre) continues their trend further from the traditional rock elements that characterized earlier dream pop bands. From the beginning, instrumentalist Scott Cortez and vocalist Melissa Arpin distanced themselves from the genre by rejecting conventional song stuctures in favor of an intensified version of the meandering sound that was forcefully inaugurated by MBV's classic Loveless. In Lovesliescrushing, this aesthetic has gradually approached pure ambience. Nevertheless, their typically warm guitars counterveil this tendency even with the absence of percussion and song structure. On Voirshn, their 4th recording, both are either minimal or entirely absent; wordless female vocals drift in and out while 'electronic beats' - guitarnoise softened by semi-lo-fi production - occasionally interrupt a wash of guitar. Although consistent in style, the album avoids sounding like one continuous song through adequately diverse guitar sounds ranging from the lush vibrant tone of the opening track 'glixen' to the subdued quasi-detatched feel of 'sovfx'. Overall, Lovesliescrushing continues to exist between the worlds of shoegazer and ambience, although the ascendant former has once again conceded to the latter. This is pure glitch-bliss.

Lovesliescrushing. [Voirshn] is a synthesis of processed ambient gloss and lo-fi grit, creating a digital-analog hybrid that Scott terms 'glitch-bliss'. Songs were compiled from a palette of sonorities extrapolated from a collection of voice and guitars, warped into rumbling subsonics, staticblast hiss, hazy chord clusters, extended infinite tone loops, melody spirals, avian-like whistles, glistening overtones, voices cut-up into splintered fragments, thoughtforms suspended over warm tonesheets like a ghost cloud, indistinct and luminous. Still eschewing bass and drums, rhythmic elements are culled from filtered guitar tones mutated into stroboscopic pulsations and digital dust clickings. Once again guitardamage is wrought upon six-strings, manipulated, deconstructed, reassembled to create bloodrush pulses reminiscent of a softly humming embryonic landscape of digitized lullabies.‟

 Projekt

 

XLIII. Arcanta | The Eternal Return

ARCANTA

The Eternal Return

©Projekt. US, 1997.

‟Starting with the dramatic, commanding, overdubbed vocals of "There is No God but God," The Eternal Return again showcases Ayres achieving a serene, powerful beauty with his fusion of vocal music styles. "Kyrie" shows Ayres doing a more traditional piece, an adaptation of the noted Gregorian chant, but even that contains hints of the more multifaceted nature of Arcanta; as much romantically passionate as religiously striving, it's a seductive and fascinating blend of vocal performances (if nothing else, Ayres is an excellent arranger of his own recordings). Straightforward, solo a cappella performances are here as well: the first half of "Estranging Sea" being a sweeping example, along with "Eleison," unsurprisingly a counterpart to "Kyrie," near the album's conclusion. Not everything is the mystery of the human voice, though; the introduction to "Awake as if From Slumber" consists of a light but haunting synth arrangement deep in the mix, leading to a church organ bed upon which Ayres then weaves another fascinating performance. It's an elegant and gripping mix, a further sign of his ability to bring out new levels from familiar elements. Other standout blends of instrumental power and singing passion include "Into Thine Arms," which almost sounds like something labelmates Lycia would create, though without guitars, and "The Solitary Pilgrim." The two returning pieces from the self-titled EP form the centerpiece of Return: "Maya" is now "Maya (dirge)," with an even more stirring and mournful feeling than before, yet retaining the same blend of light guitar and synth with Ayres' voice, here singing an English lyric with his trademark dark passion; and the revamped "Via Dolorosa," ends with a spectacular series of cries from Ayres. Finishing with the appropriately entrancing "Bodhisattva," a measured, sparkling beauty of a track, Eternal is a fine effort from an artist with a rare gift indeed."

Ned Raggett



 

XXXII. Black Tape For A Blue Girl | Remnants Of A Deeper Purity

BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL

Remnants Of A Deeper Purity

©Projekt. US, 1996.

‟Si la excelencia tuviese nombre Black Tape For A Blue Girl sería uno de ellos, y no lo digo a título personal sino como algo común dentro de los que han caído en sus encantos.

'Remnants Of A Deeper Purity' su nuevo álbum no es la excepción a la regla establecida por la banda, aquí se conjugan delicadeza, sutileza, melancolía y mucho sentimiento, logrando quizás su mejor trabajo en estos años.

Sam Rosenthal se hace acompañar esta vez por el siempre magistral Oscar Herrera en voz y guitarra, Lucian Casselman en voz, Vicki Richards en violín y Mera Roberts en chelo. Tanto Mera como Vicki le dan un sabor más clásico a este trabajo, aportando una cantidad de texturas deliciosas y sublimes.

Por su parte Oscar y Lucian hacen de sus voces un deleite a los oídos, variando de lo etéreo a lo dramático con un convencimiento total, como perdurable más allá del tiempo. Los temas "Redefine Pure Faith", Fin De Siecle", "Have No More Answers", "Again To Drift (For Veronica)" y "Fitful" son los más etéreos y ambientales destacándose la gran capacidad para crear atmósferas finas y envolventes. Mención aparte tienen los temas "Remnants Of A Deeper Purity", una elegante canción con bastante folk. El extensivo "For You Will Burn Your Wings Upon The Sun" que por más de 20 minutos nos lleva por un viaje de lucidez musical.

Tal vez el tema que más marca es "With My Sorrows" un triste canto en el que se incluye un extracto de la canción "En La Mar Hay Una Torre", donde Oscar recita en español 'Pescaré mi amor con mis dolores', para finalizar con.. 'Si la mar se hace leche yo me hago pescador, pescaré a mis dolores con palabritas de amor'.

Definitivamente este es un álbum majestuoso y solemne que nos sume en un vuelo de tristeza, quietud y dolor. No hay palabras para expresar lo que se siente al escuchar este disco. Sólo consíguelo y después me lo agradecerás.‟

  José Villegas

XVI. Lycia | Cold

LYCIA

Cold

©Projekt. US, 1996.

‟Lycia is a cult darkwave act that has been around since 1988, providing several generations of fans with a sonic tapestry of somber reflection and hushed introspection. Consisting of Mike VanPortfleet (guitars, vocals, drum & synth programs), David Galas (bass, drum & synth programs, audio engineering) and Tara Vanflower (vocals), the trio have now released several albums with ‘Cold’ being their most fully realized and popular release. The cheery chaps at Silber Records are in the process of re-releasing the five Lycia studio albums, and ‘Cold’ is the third in the installment.

The inspiration to both the lyrics and overall sound of Cold was the band’s move from the desert landscape of Phoenix, Arizona, to the snow covered landscape of northern Ohio. The bleak, oppressive permafrost that greeted them seeped deep into their musical cerebral, leading to a sound that was more frigid, atmospheric, sparse and crystalline than on previous releases. The album commences with the 8minute epic, ‘Frozen’, a track with a droning yet captivatingly buoyant synth melody combined with razor sharp, thumping drums (straight out of the 80’s super-group pop rock manual). The band utilise these elements to engage the listener into a dark and entrancing lull which sounds like a hushed, pop-orientated My Dying Bride circa ‘Like Gods of the Sun’. VanPortfleet’s whispered and effect-heavy vocals add an emotionally fragile touch whilst the re-mastering work really shows its worth, thanks to the wide and open soundstage.

A similar formula of sharp percussion and atmospheric soundscapes continues forward into the follow-up track, ‘Bare’, although this time we are treated to the angelic vocals of Tara Vanflower. Effect-laden guitars and driven bass create a warm and inviting atmosphere, whilst the arrangement and combination of male/female vocals add the finishing touch to a rather epic and emotional piece. ‘Baltica’ continues Lycia’s vision of grandeur by creating a sweeping and ethereal soundscape to the interplay of giant oceanic currents. Swirls of guitar, synth and bass combine and synergise over a playful yet forceful landscape of percussion whilst Vanflower’s soothing angelic hums drape over the whole-thing to bring it to life. ‘Snowdrop’ is a slower-paced, otherworldly lullaby littered with swirling and disorientating guitars and synthwork which expand and blossom across your speakers. The result is a soundscape which comes across as a portal to a light-filled netherworld. On ‘December’, Lycia lull the listener into a false sense of security with a minute or so of calm and serene beauty before (unhurriedly) bursting-forward with deep and ominous melodies which are fused with pounding percussion and ghostly vocals, which them self sound like an instrumental layer.

The album contains vast, slowly drifting plains of sonic-debris which has had space-rockers and shoegazer’s expanding their minds, whilst the dark melodies and moody textures has made this a cult goth-rock album. The re-mastering work has added extra depth and dimension to the sound as the booming bass and crystal clear percussion demands the listener’s attention whilst the vocals are clear yet mixed in to the soundscape like another instrument. This release comes highly recommended to anyone who missed it first-time round. ‟

Silber Records