“A must have for die-hard fans of Berlin School and its mellotron charms”
1 Sunlight Kisses on Forest Floor 17:36
2 It could be Paradise 10:26
3 Mysterious Cave of Eternal Theta 16:22
4 Delta Wave Dreamer 18:33
5 Mellotronication (live) 10:35
(DDL 73:35) (V.F.)
(Berlin School)
A lot has been written about Computerchemist's latest album. The comments on social networks are dithyrambic. So, I discovered this album with my ears won in advance. A trap in many cases...but not here! MYSTERIOUS CAVE OF ETERNAL THETA is a fabulous journey into the Berlin School of yesteryear. Dave Pearson manages to raise the hairs of passion and give us those shivers associated with the first times we discovered the music of Tangerine Dream. And the reason? A massive use of the mellotron, in symbiosis with the sequenced minimalist rhythms that Computerchemist subtly modulates. It scatters those mythical banks of mist, layers of voices as celestial as chthonian, harmonious solos with beautiful fluty harmonies, orchestrations and cinematic Luciferian ambiences that are specific to the musical genre of the mythical German trio. In short, a splendid album that has everything to please die-hard Berlin School fans.
Sunlight Kisses on Forest Floor opens with a classic electronic rhythm movement. The structure gives a vague impression of zigzagging with its rhythm that hops and vibrates from ear to ear, fluidly alternating the impact of chords whose bass tone is coated with a rubbery texture. An arpeggio inserts itself into the mathematics of the rhythm. Its asynchronous leap creates a vague rhythmic melody that stands out from the rhythm yet is in symbiosis with it, creating a modulation that is instantly seductive. Dave Pearson deploys the strategies of the mellotron on his new album from the very first minute by letting float a cloud of orchestrations from which the air is dominated by an enchanting flute. It chant is flirting with Middle Eastern harmonies, alternating between celestial voices clouds and gothic haze. Sometimes nostalgic, sometimes chthonian, the mellotron multiplies its presence with some nice variations in its emotions and even manages to give us a few doses of chills. It takes on a more poignant and intense character towards the end of the track, which has survived on the same rhythmic pattern from the very first second of Sunlight Kisses on Forest Floor. Without doing a simple copy-paste, we find on this first title all the ingredients that will build and adorn the next 58 minutes of MYSTERIOUS CAVE OF ETERNAL THETA.
The mellotron and its metallic haze are opening It could be Paradise. The flute immediately brings out its melancholy air, with a chant that floats and meanders over layers of monastic voices and of shady mist, creating a rather gothic ambience. A melody strummed on a stringed instrument texture, such as acoustic guitar or harp, rises from the 90th second. This tandem of flute and strings clings to a pulsating bass line. The impact makes the ambiences resonate where the voices and the mist, now orchestral, raise their emotional intensity a notch. The sequence of acoustic chords turns into one of melodic rhythm, twirling in a hypnotic spiral and flirting with the essences of Tangerine Dream from the days of Legend or Underwater Sunlight. In a good mix of ambient rhythm and celestial ambience, the title track offers a very Froese rhythm with a heavy, slightly resonant structure that trots along in short zigzags. It's the mellotron that gives the track its charm with banks of fog singing with an emotive acuity. Delta Wave Dreamer follows the tangent of the minimalist rhythms that leap from their rubbery textures in this very good Computerchemist album. Structured by two lines, one bouncing and the other oscillating, the rhythm beats in suspension in the broad layers of mellotron, which scatters clouds of orchestral and sleep-inducing mists, of chthonian voices and of fluty harmonies with sometimes sharp tones. Mellotronication (live) is a purely atmospheric track, recorded on a single take. Layers of sizzling fog invade our ears with modulations, sometimes emotive, that structure a slow ambient rhythm which is ideal for bedtime.
MYSTERIOUS CAVE OF ETERNAL THETA deserves all the praise and positive reviews it has received. It's been a while since I've heard Computerchemist's electronic music. Volcan Dreams seduced me enormously 4 years ago. Between 2019 and this year, Dave Pearson's project has lined up a series of albums where he picks and chooses between one style and another. Here, he returns to the Berlin School that so seduced us in 2019. The rhythms may be more restrained, but the mellotron is immensely poignant. This is the heart of an album that is sure to win over Dream aficionados and, above all, Edgar Froese fans. A must-have in 2023!
Sylvain Lupari (July 21st, 2023) ****½*
Available at Computerchemist Bandcamp
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