“For the price ask, this is a great gift in music. If only for the title-track”
1 Infinity 10:38
2 Reaching for the Stars 11:50
(DDL 22:30) (V.F.)
(Roumanian School, Cosmic EM)
Last offering from Alba Ecstasy in 2020, REACHING FOR THE STARS is a mini-EP, a gift in music that the musician offers in the formula; name your price. I'm not fond of this formula, so I didn't know if I should tell you about it, especially since the first track, Infinity is like Eno walking on the moon with his vacuum cleaner plugged into his headphones. A surprisingly dark track that starts with a flight of metallic synth layers that are quite sharp for my delicate hearing. This cluster of unified waves and lines secretly begins to pulse, even if the horizontal avalanche continues to feed its greed. The effect becomes pulsating. Infinity has become a mechanical heart whose magnetic center sucks in all circular data; orchestrations, like synth chirps and astral voices. This interstellar storm gradually diminishes and suddenly wakes up a little before the 7th minute. Never sure of its past and worried about its future, Infinity remains in the present moment still too arrogant for my ears in search of musicality.
Reaching for the Stars is a very beautiful track which is in the register of the best of my friend Mihail-Adrian Simion. Two sequencer lines in parallel mix at the opening barrier, creating this imperfect flow pleasantly welded by a bass-sequence line. This sequencer-built rhythmic carousel hints at a key that is dribbled out as the minimalist movement gently gallops across the electronic plains filled with astral haze. It's this kind of movement that seduces me and thus the absolute serenity of the sequencer's cabrioles over the docility of the bass line-pulses can lay me down at the feet of Morpheus. Well fragmented, the past time brings us another festive ingredient for the ears while the spheroidal line of the pulsations pushes for an electrification of now the hypnotic ritornello which counts the riffs of keyboard invading its space. Then it's keyboard chords that make very Tangerine Dream, raising Reaching for the Stars to a more electronic level. An electronic rock haloed by tinklings matching with the circular dance of the cabrioles. A beautiful track with a finale filled with ethereal haze and the echo of secret beats.
For the price ask and even with a title that borders on anti-music to my ears, this REACHING FOR THE STARS is a great gift. If only for the title-track!
Sylvain Lupari (April 8th, 2021) ***¼**
Available at Alba Ecstasy Bandcamp