TranscendNoise

20. Jóhann Jóhannsson – Orphée Jóhannsson himself writes about the gaze of Orpheus towards his Eurydice in the vain of an interpretation given by Maurice Blanchot: The gaze, which turns Eurydice to dust, for that was Orpheus only condition in getting her back from the Underworld, is also the gaze of inspiration. This theme of creativity stemming from something that causes pain, something that is forbidden or transgresses a boundary is something we find in Orphée and Jóhansson´s work time and time again. These, mostly short, tracks follow a similar structure of sweeping, cascading upwards, while also crumbling, employing small sparkling sounds or musical ideas that seem to pick on the basis set for by strings and keys. This gives the undeniable feeling of unattainability, of never being able to grasp the beauty that lies in these small compositions. Much like a gaze, a peak of something breathtaking that will destroy it in retrospect. While the theme of the Orphic hymn reoccurs ...

10. The Hotelier – Soft Animal // Settle The Scar ( Goodness ) “Soft Animal” is a heartwarming moment of realization, facing the nature of mortality and learning about the ongoing cycles of existence. While it can be understood apart from the album, it is the literal successor of “Opening Mail for My Grandmother” and sees the singer Christian Holden reencounter his dead grandmother as a newly born doe. This moment of realization goes as far as believing in some notion of a God and being talked down by others, who cannot share such spiritual meaning. Regardless of one’s own standpoint, the serene nature of the verses and the exploding chorus of this song build a powerful dynamic, almost serving as a repercussion of such an encounter and the inner upheaval and revolution it can bring. Lifting this experience even higher is the band´s complete lack of any elements that allude to darkening of mind, representing a balanced sensibility of knowledge and centering yourself in the way of a...

40. Endless Melancholy – Fragile Endless Melancholy is the brainchild of Ukrainian musician Oleksiy Sakevych and if one thing, you can be sure that Sakevych knows how to title his project and albums when the falling piano notes of opener “Whereever” hit you. And it is with this lack of place and the idea of melancholy much of Fragile can be explained. Sakevych draws much of his musical credo from the darker sides of emotion, with the dichotomy of happy/sad of melancholy still imbued. His piano compositions, accompanied by cello, viola and sometimes even drums are a gaze into the distance, or the expression of nostalgia as Sakevych himself alluded. Nostalgia can be either restorative or reflective in nature. In the first you want to harken back to a time or place that went missing, meaning there is a home, a place to return to. Fragile rather finds its place in the latter category, a yearning for a place that never existed and thus there is no way of retrieving it. Fragile for ...