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review by Bill Binkelman The man behind the "Amethystium" curtain is Norwegian artist Øystein Ramfjord and he has released yet another solid album on Neurodisc Records (this is his third). He continues to refine, polish and subtly evolve his highly successful "formula" (although I'm loathe to use such a term) of chill-out rhythms, lush synths, evocative chorales and female vocals, and a level of sophistication and accessibility that makes his music nigh impossible to resist. Combine all that with perfect engineering and production quality and you are looking at an album so enjoyable that finding fault with it is more an exercise in nit-picking superficiality than anything else. As if that weren't enough, the packaging of Evermind is gorgeous, as the digipack contains an insert with some gorgeous nature photography (by Fred Strømme). Obviously, if you have never heard Amethystium's music before, think Enigma's first CD and now make it about five times better, leaving behind the excess that Michael Cretu (i.e. Enigma) is guilty of, and also increase the synths and beats while leaving out the annoying electric guitar histrionics that eventually crept into Enigma's music. Okay, you're getting close to how good Ramfjord plies his trade. What continues to astound me his how he keeps getting better by adding new elements yet still retaining his signature components. I'm sure some critics will dissect Evermind and try to turn it into something manufactured, as if it was only a product. But, having had some email correspondence with the artist, I am convinced this music comes from the artist's creative soul, so if it sounds too commercial or "poppy" for some people, well, tough shit! Sometimes "good" music sounds "good." And boy, does this sound good. I was hooked when, on the opening track ("Arcus"), after a brief haunting vocal and synth prelude, the beats and refrain are introduced almost from afar, and when the real rhythm tracks and lush strings crank in, well, it's one of those "omigod" moments, made only better when Lee Nesbit (of Animus Mundi) weaves her sultry vocals into the mix. If this music was a sirens' song, I would be dashed on the rocks, for sure! Fans of previous Amethystium recordings, have no fear as there are plenty of hook and beat-laden tracks here to get your blood pumping, such as "Into The Twilight," with those characteristic high hat, snare, and bass rhythms, this time with the addition of mournful synth cello textures (wonderful touch, that!). "Shadowlands" is appropriately eerie at the start, with subdued shuffling rhythms underneath whispery female vocals before evolving into something much more forceful and seductive with an increase in beats and the emergence of Nisbet's vocals (in some ways, I think Ramfjord's music is moving in the direction formerly inhabited by his fellow countrymen/women Bel Canto, i.e. a kind of icy cool synth pop anchored by sexy female vocals). From the insistent urgency of the shimmering synths, digital piano, and glitch-esque beats of "Innocence" to the cheery chill-out vibe of "Barefoot" to echoes of church organ and neo-classical string textures on "Lost," Evermind is ear candy of the best kind, filling and delicious. Any criticisms I would make would be minor, although "Reverie" is a weaker song than everything else here. It just struck me as not up to the standard maintained by the other eleven tracks. Even with that one flaw, Evermind is one of the best chill-out/electronica albums of 2004 and serves to show that Øystein Ramfjord/Amethystium hasn't scratched the surface of what he is capable of doing in the studio. Apparently, the man has no end of hooks and beats to call forth from his artist's soul. Well, I, for one, hope his well never runs dry. Evermind earns a highly recommended from me. |
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