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review by Bill Binkelman Here is an album of four long (between fifteen and nineteen minutes) EM soundscapes that unfold patiently (even when the music is fast tempo) by one of the more unrecognized artists in the genre. Emmens combines Berlin school elements with a strong melodic sensibility as well as borrowing from other European styles of electronic music at times. He is not some mere Tangerine Dream/Klaus Schulze knock-off yet he is also different from other modern practitioners of Germanic EM, e.g. Rudy Adrian, Paul Ellis, and Dom F. Scab. Emmens composes/performs highly visual, deeply evocative suites, somewhat like a classical music approach (although never sounding like classical music of course). His long compositions sometimes have "movements" containing refrains and motifs, yet the songs sustain mood and atmosphere throughout these sections. By melding flowing melodies and catchy refrains with more traditional Berlinesque sequencers, rhythms and keyboards, the result is refreshingly complex and yet also accessible (the latter is even more remarkable given the average length of a piece on this album). Flowing melodies and lively beats at the start of "The Day the Wind blew out the Light" open the CD in remarkable fashion, featuring retro-pulsing synths in the mid-section that call to mind Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein!" morphing into classic Berlin sequences and washes of lush keyboards with plenty of spacy effects underneath it all. The title track opens with serene floating washes, a la Jonn Serrie, before introducing reverbed notes and a nice mellow midtempo sequence that builds in intensity before heading into a series of dramatic soaring refrains amidst synth chorales. Percussive effects become more complex as pitch-bent whistling tones snake their way through the sequenced beats, eventually slowing down to incorporate mellotrons washing over you like refreshing waves before ending in a rapid fire sequence pattern. "Entering the Dark Depth" is appropriately moody, with minor key tonalities, mid to lower register synth choirs, and a melody blended with darkness and foreboding. Sequences are folded in later with darkly-tinted percussive effects heavily echoed. However, even here Emmens' flowing sense of musicality runs through the piece. "Voice from the Past" closes out the CD with eerie rumblings and burbling effects that evolve into quasi-new age soundscapes, featuring flute-like keyboards (mellotrons?) set amongst ethereal choir tones and other spacemusic-like sculptings. Of course, a nice driving rhythm of sequenced beats emerges with quavering horn-like tones echoing here and there. Later, tasty arpeggios bounce up and down the scale, buoyed by a smooth undercurrent of synth washes. Dramatic tenor/baritone chorales enter the picture and the song enters full dramatic swing. The dense mix on this CD (as well as its perfect engineering) make headphones almost essential, unless you have the luxury of turning up your music really loud. Even after five or six playings, I'm sure I haven't even started to glean all I could from obscure movements in twilight shades. This is an outstanding recording in the EM genre and I highly recommend it as a showcase for slowly developing soundscapes that blend Berlin school with other European elements as well as entertaining occasional forays into spacemusic and a tiny slice of electronic new age music, too. |
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