“Very good and superbly melodic, this is high class EM with a twist of new synth-pop”
1 Home Without The Journey 27:48
2 Carbon Statues 11:26
3 Cool Blue and the Plough 12:19
(DDL 51:34) (V.F.)
(Ambient, EDM, New Synth-pop)
At once sad, melancholic and superbly poetic, HOME WITHOUT THE JOURNEY is a sublime complement to Grey Mirrors, released in 2004. An opus that moved us as much by Andy Condon's artistic intimacy as by the complexity of his emotions depicted in a mesh between a poetry as paradisiacal as obscure. On the other hand, the wild aspect of the rhythms of the new electronic music coming from Trance, Techno or neo synth-pop echoed these melancholic phases, balancing marvellously ambiances and rhythms. Here, these rhythms are more tempered on 3 long tracks enveloping us with an atmospheric aura that is matched only by the melancholic vision of The Glimmer Room.
The title-track plunges us into the heart of this ambiguity by offering a structure in movement with a nice sound imprint from sound effects that help us imagine the story. Water swarms in an ornithological fauna shaken by long, buzzing breaths and others panting, creating a dark introduction despite the mellotron-like sweetness of a solitary flute that clings to an equally forlorn piano. Although melodic and sometimes orchestral, the introduction to Home Without the Journey remains dark and sad. A synth feeds this gloom with faint oscillations that amplify the echo of a static rhythm. Good synth loops began to circulate in this corridor that appears hermetic, before muffled percussions propel the rhythm towards freer horizons, there where the interstellar mermaids always surprise the hearing. Celestial chants immersed in raucous sound effects, Home Without The Journey takes off it sequenced momentum midway with good rotating sequences that are drowned under good synth solos. A heavy and lively moment that slowly fades out in light metallic breaths and beautiful galactic mermaid whispers. Carbon Statues offers an austere and ecclesiastical intro where prayer bells melt with a very monasterial vocal darkness. A soaring and relaxing track with emotions at the surface and nice melodious phases, notably this little swirl of bells that undulates under a mellotron that covers the reading of Robert Oppenheimer. Fans of Michael Stearns won't get enough of this one! Cool Blue and the Plough is the most lively track on this new CD. It goes through a dark opening with a metallic wind and organ tones from which the bass pulse line gets lost in the undulations of a discreet synth that leads a slow procession. This dark march comes to life on a nervous keyboard in a static structure. Cool Blue And The Plough finally blossoms on minimalist guitar loops over a light rhythm that slowly swirls into a melodious limpidity that makes your spine tingle. Beautiful, romantic and superbly melodic, just like the whole of HOME WITHOUT THE JOURNEY. We clearly feel the first breeze of I Remain here.
Sylvain Lupari (December 29th, 2008) ***½**
Available at The Glimmer Room Bandcamp