Music is one of the greatest escapes to ever exist. Time and time again, we hear of how music has helped so many cope with trauma, stress, bitterness or even act as an coping mechanism for great other achievements such as meditation, escape from reality or even provide a sense of clarity as background noise. Whatever the case may be, it’s hard to deny that music is the heart of darkness, strength and enlightenment. Specifically with Dark Ambient music (and it’s many sub-genres), there is a sense of departure from normal absoluteness, as listeners tend to descend into a world where it all makes sense. Depending on the listeners emotional state, results may vary but will ultimately be rewarding. The latest offering by the collaborative efforts of Maud The Moth and Trajedesaliva, ‘Bordano El Manto Terrestre’ presents such an endeavor with its haunting vocals, dissonant synths and euphoric spoken word narrations. Loosely translated as ‘Embroidering The Terrestrial Mantle’, this albums melancholic approach to elegant songwriting produces a mesmerizing atmosphere of chaotic harmonies and opulent vocals, resulting in a desirable album of moody textures and addictive modulations.
Immediately setting a melancholic vibe, lead off track, “Perdí Pie” emits a hint of nostalgia as attuned synth leads explode with elongated notes of discordant radiance. Operatic vocals provide a chilling atmosphere as this gloomy intonation gives off a hypnotizing result. Toward the end, a soothing spoken word bit continues to tranquilize in a foreign tongue, but delivers a message that can be felt despite its enigmatic delivery. “Jardincito De Rosa y Tierra” has a slight ritualistic intro, with regards to the atmospheric instrumentation. However, after a brief engagement haunting vocal melodies and incandescent synth arrangements soar loud and boldly as if reaching a climactic musical conclusion. The divergent harmonies in this track are captivating and represent a musical theme throughout the remainder of the album. “Habitantes Del Desgarro” commences with clean, somber modulations, while the sounds of nature cry out in the background. A distorted tone is introduced, building upon layers of dissonance while ascending vocal melodies establish a sense of chaotic beauty. Although these sounds collaborate with inharmonious effort, the intense output of strident textures combine with astounding plangency. “Cuerpo De Gato” fades in slowly with haunting layers of synths and obscure sound effects in the background. As the synth tones begin to shrill, more spoken word comes into play and fuses well with the arrangement. There is an underlying melody that is so soothing, you’ll want to replay this song several times just to enjoy its subdued nature. “Fruta Alrededor De Una Vela” begins with a synthwave pattern that will have you reminiscing classic synth styles from decades past. After a short spoken word piece, a beautiful vocal induces a tranquillizing effect while elongated keys drone belligerently. A circling of flys (or bees) can be heard during a short instrumental break before the synthwave patterns and layered vocal harmonies pick back up in a surreal combination that is equally mesmerizing and dubious. This is my favorite track on the album and I could listen to it over and over again without it growing old or complacent. “Perla” is an alluring offering with winsome guitar tones and glamorous vocals that are arranged similar to the lush sounds of the shoegaze genre. Synth notes continue to pile on in unison, producing a shrouding tone of hazy (but angelic) proportions. “Círculo Roto” offers a Dark Ambient styled intro in conjunction with a whispering, spoken word narrations before layers of nostalgic synth effects arbitrarily find a synchronized sequence in which to emit a unified tone. This is one of the darkest tracks on the album, but fits right in with its asymmetric delivery. The final track is “Hilos De Fantasía”. Immediately commencing with a succession of unharmonized keys, they essentially create a chaotic blend of glistening synth notes and random modulations that again, sound amazingly abstract and powerful. There are random patterns of percussive beats and screeching soundscapes that create a wonderful closing to this ambitious album.
Maud The Moth and Trajedesaliva are two amazing artists and are able to combine their crafts in a wonderfully disharmonic effort to produce some absolutely bewildering music. From obscure synth tones and perplexing melodies to angelic – operatic-like – vocals and soothing spoken word narrations, they have put their best efforts forward on ‘Bordando El Manto Terrestre’. At just under forty minutes, this album offers a variety of cacophonous sounds and vocal patterns to entertain endlessly. This is one of my favorite albums right now and I can’t recommend it enough. Click on the link below and experience this uniquely crafted album that combines the best of multiple genres.
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Links:
https://bordandoelmantoterrestre.bandcamp.com/album/bordando-el-manto-terrestre
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