Artist : Endless Melancholy
Album : Fragile
Year : 2014
Genre : Ambient
Quality : 220kbps / 44.1KHz / Joint Stereo
Source : Webshop / FLAC
Playtime : 0h 46m
Size : 77.13mb
Label : Hidden Vibes
Catalognr : HV029
Tracklist:
01. Wherever 2:08
02. Glory Of The Sun 6:16
03. Little Hands 5:03
04. Forgotten Valentines 3:50
05. Lost 5:10
06. RΩverie 7:03
07. Do You Remember? 3:16
08. Write Me A Letter 3:46
09. You Are The Moonlight 7:32
10. Somewhere 2:03
Releasenotes:
Strings. Gentle piano chords. Drift off or come round, dependent on the time of
day. The opening moments to 'Fragile' provide the sound of a world slowing down.
The record is Endless Melancholy's third and there's a dynamism on show here
that indicates the maturity of the project, how Oleksiy Sakevyvh is able to
create compositions that differ in register and tone, but come together to work
as a single piece of neoclassicalism with delicate fragility that captivates and
sooths.
Hailing from Kiev, Ukraine, it's difficult not to juxtapose the tone of the
album with what is going on in the country politically. That something so
ethereal can be born in such a tempered environment is testament to the power of
music.
Endless Melancholy is pianist Oleksiy Sakevyvh's project and the arrangements he
has created on 'Fragile' work fluidly, creating emotionally transformative
music. The switch in tone from 'Wherever' to 'Glory of the Sun' is a fine
example of this û Cello fading out as sharp piano notes arrive. 'Glory of the
Sun' is in fact one of the more interesting and layered tracks on the album û
and one of the few to utilise electronics, while the addition of drums half-way
through takes us from subtle ambient into something with far more punch and
pace. More of this development within tracks would have been interesting.
This is an album that is far more butterfly than bee however. It soaks through
the listener, imbibing a sense of warmth and, yes, melancholy. Like any ambient
work of this nature, there are times when it is easy to drift, to lose
concentration on the music itself, but can this really be such a bad thing?
Despite the minimal instrumentation û all tracks are piano led with just a viola
and cello (and occasional drums) for back up û there is a real emotional
resonance.
On 'RΩverie' a more cinematic sound emerges, the melody more focused, while on
shorter pieces like 'Write Me a Letter' there is more of a haunting atmosphere.
The change works well, the album progressing in movements much like a symphony.
While Sakevyvh has excelled here, mention must go to Anatoliy Gavrilov and
Vladimir Babutin for their contributions on viola and cello respectively. Adding
depth and vibrancy, their work has helped create a brave and comfortable sound
(one that isn't even sullied by the cliched sound of running water on 'You Are
the Moonlight'). There is nothing groundbreaking here, but there doesn't need to
be. It will, however, be interesting to see where Sakevyvh goes next and whether
the hint of electronics being introduced on 'Fragile' is developed.
With neoclassical artists like Max Richter and A Winged Victory For the Sullen
gaining popularity, there is perhaps a solid niche that will see Endless
Melancholy being given the sort of exposure music this good deserves. It is an
album of hope, not despair. Fragile by name and nature. There's a time in
everyone's life when an album like 'Fragile' is prescriptive.
http://endlessmelancholy.bandcamp.com/album/fragile