Album: Earth Air Spirit Water Fire (2013)
Genre: Psychedelic Rock (Post Rock/Exp.) / Netherlands
Selim Lemouchi has always been one to think outside the box, and that eccentricity hasn’t been lost with his latest offering. As the first track, ‘Chiaroscuro‘, begins with a recorded gospel speech backed by what sounds like birdsong, it’s clear to see that this isn’t going to be any normal album. ‘Next Stop, Universe B.‘ has electronic vein running through it that sounds almost like a Theremin, which is something rarely used in modern music. Then again, ‘Earth Air Spirit Fire Water‘ isn’t exactly a mainstream record. Midway through ‘The Deep, Dark Waters‘, the song goes into a melodic guitar instrumental that is so isolated and so delicate that it almost comes to a halt several times and the song almost plunges into silence. Just as the last few plucks of the guitar strings are so suspenseful they have the listener on the edge of their seat, the track goes back into full band mode, with a much more vibrant and rich instrumental breakdown. These are just some of the out-of-the-ordinary techniques seen on ‘Earth Air Spirit Fire Water‘ that make it such a whimsical album. There are only five tracks on the album, but three of them are over ten minutes long. An unusual choice, but it’s clear when listening to the album that there is method behind the madness. Instead of making an album of ten three and a half minute tracks that are too short to be fully explored, Selim Lemouchi has handpicked five lengthy tracks that give him the time and freedom to fulfil his creativity. The structure of these songs is unique to many other albums out there, where they build up, then breakdown, then climb back up to full pelt again, sometimes repeating this arrangement more than once within a track. However, it still remains unexpected, with every track having its own surprise just waiting to be heard. The vocals can be quite quiet, almost taking a backseat at some points to the musicality of the album, making lyrics difficult to decipher. Sometimes, though, you don’t need to know the exact words to grasp the sense of a song, and that’s what happens with ‘Earth Air Spirit Fire Water‘. ‘Molasses‘ and ‘The Ghost of Valentine‘ in particular have such haunting moments that exude emotion, and the feeling of these songs isn’t hard to grasp, even if you don’t take the time to listen to the words. There’s no denying it- ‘Earth Air Spirit Fire Water‘ is an incredibly inventive album. It has depth and substance that is sometimes truly hard to find in music. However, it takes time to listen to. To enjoy this album on a personal level and experience it fully as an artform takes serious thought and consideration, which in our hectic society and with our short attention spans isn’t something that everyone will want to do. If you’re serious about music, this album is for you. If you just want something to bop along to in the background, it’s not. Review by "Sam Lawrie". (www.hitthefloor.com)
RATING: ??????????????????
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Genre: Psychedelic Rock (Post Rock/Exp.) / Netherlands
Selim Lemouchi has always been one to think outside the box, and that eccentricity hasn’t been lost with his latest offering. As the first track, ‘Chiaroscuro‘, begins with a recorded gospel speech backed by what sounds like birdsong, it’s clear to see that this isn’t going to be any normal album. ‘Next Stop, Universe B.‘ has electronic vein running through it that sounds almost like a Theremin, which is something rarely used in modern music. Then again, ‘Earth Air Spirit Fire Water‘ isn’t exactly a mainstream record. Midway through ‘The Deep, Dark Waters‘, the song goes into a melodic guitar instrumental that is so isolated and so delicate that it almost comes to a halt several times and the song almost plunges into silence. Just as the last few plucks of the guitar strings are so suspenseful they have the listener on the edge of their seat, the track goes back into full band mode, with a much more vibrant and rich instrumental breakdown. These are just some of the out-of-the-ordinary techniques seen on ‘Earth Air Spirit Fire Water‘ that make it such a whimsical album. There are only five tracks on the album, but three of them are over ten minutes long. An unusual choice, but it’s clear when listening to the album that there is method behind the madness. Instead of making an album of ten three and a half minute tracks that are too short to be fully explored, Selim Lemouchi has handpicked five lengthy tracks that give him the time and freedom to fulfil his creativity. The structure of these songs is unique to many other albums out there, where they build up, then breakdown, then climb back up to full pelt again, sometimes repeating this arrangement more than once within a track. However, it still remains unexpected, with every track having its own surprise just waiting to be heard. The vocals can be quite quiet, almost taking a backseat at some points to the musicality of the album, making lyrics difficult to decipher. Sometimes, though, you don’t need to know the exact words to grasp the sense of a song, and that’s what happens with ‘Earth Air Spirit Fire Water‘. ‘Molasses‘ and ‘The Ghost of Valentine‘ in particular have such haunting moments that exude emotion, and the feeling of these songs isn’t hard to grasp, even if you don’t take the time to listen to the words. There’s no denying it- ‘Earth Air Spirit Fire Water‘ is an incredibly inventive album. It has depth and substance that is sometimes truly hard to find in music. However, it takes time to listen to. To enjoy this album on a personal level and experience it fully as an artform takes serious thought and consideration, which in our hectic society and with our short attention spans isn’t something that everyone will want to do. If you’re serious about music, this album is for you. If you just want something to bop along to in the background, it’s not. Review by "Sam Lawrie". (www.hitthefloor.com)
RATING: ??????????????????
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