The calm demeanor of minimalistic music can evoke all sorts of human emotions. The vast listening experience is like an endless field of dreams and nightmares, all rolled up in one, and depending on your psychological state, it could allow for one of the best experiences ever. This is especially true when we realize that the ambient music that is providing this backdrop, is heavily influenced by spacey elements of 70’s progressive synth music – especially the monumental sounds of Tangerine Dream and the brilliant solo works of Klaus Schulze. Luminous Japanese recording artist, Mora-Tau, maximizes these influences on a spectacular new release called, ‘The Light Of The Winter’. The four improvised – but majestically written – tracks on this album will catapult the listener to a cold, surreal world where there is no limit for crafting a story for blissful meditation.
The ultra silky sounds of the the lead off track, “The Light Of The Winter”, is reminiscent of a jazz noir piece that has improvisations in the perfect spots to create a hauntingly beautiful moment. As the synth volume increases and the play becomes more sporadic, the listener is cascaded back into an era where time was slower and gray weather drifted in between sun rays at a snails pace. Although this song is filled with many peaceful moments, there is a sense of dreadful nostalgia in the background that always makes its presence felt. Up next is the twenty five and a half minute long “Cityscape”. Without rushing a single note, the track starts off with dreary deep tones and oppressive melodies that represent a cold, dark and miserable time where the infinite clock paints a mesmerizing picture of never ending despair. Slowly, additional soundscapes are added to the track, bringing a great variety of light and dark ambience to the mix. At around the halfway mark, layers of drones begin to build, creating a climactic effect. Even though this is an extremely long track, it continues to build and garner strength throughout its duration, making it a wondrous journey to be a part of. The next track, “For The Memory Of The Earthquake” is a fascinating song as (in my opinion) it pays homage to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake (and tsunami) that decimated parts of North Eastern Japan. Coincidentally, I lived in Japan during that time and experienced some of the effects of this disaster and would never want to relive that situation again. Anyway, back to the song at hand as it contains somber instrumentation with a very minimalistic approach. It’s almost as if the artist is reliving the experience in slow motion and the music is creating a positive outcome from such a negative event. Retro keyboard tones really stand out on this one as the improvised moments take us back to the old days of synthwave. The final track on this illustrious album is the near twenty one minute long “New Moon”. Starting with deep modulation tones that reverberate as a solid foundation, odd synth tones slowly build and create a mild frequency havoc when some of them are pinched together. However, this is a necessary part of the track as the sound waves continue to build until they are replaced by clear, piercing drones. Bizarre improvisations fit in rather well during this moment and even make this a standout track on the album. Soon, ordinary synth tones begin to layer in a harmonious effort to bring much needed light to this track. More retro synth sounds are added, along with mysterious keyboard effects, to present an irregular ending. Although it fades out with a few minutes to spare, it abruptly fades back in with a systematic closing that summarizes the fascinating style of this album as a whole.
Mora-Tau is an extremely compelling artist that is full of vision, even when creating long, epic tracks full of improvisations. ‘The Light Of The Winter’ not only captures retrospective synth moments, but it also finds common ground with dark and light ambient compositions, making for an extraordinary production effort. I’m eager to hear more from this talented artist and I highly recommend checking out this album as soon as possible. Please show your support and download ‘The Light Of The Winter’ from the link below.
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Links:
https://kalaminerecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-light-of-the-winter
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