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You know those days when it's gloomy and raining outside and nothing seems to be quite right? This seems to be the perfect soundtrack to such a day. The release opens with slow drones of treated violin and cello which mingle with sparse piano notation and echoing scrapes. The result is a beautiful blend of sound that echoes something between 'Godspeed You Black Emperor' and 'Sigur Ros', sans vocals. Whispering cymbols accompany this first part of the disc as we flow through the icy tundra created by Opion Somnium. The name Opion Somnium eludes to sleeping in a field of poppies and sound conductive to dreaming. I Feel these are true statements, as the sounds on 'Ascend & Descend with Feathers in Hand' carry you through dream-like dimensions of the mind. Rolling tones and bird calls open the third track "...the sound of a junebug in flight casts fear in some". This is a very ethereal piece. The flow of sound is beautifully met with the fifth track "...wailes of hope end before sunrise". This track is another slow moving drone consisting of short notes which are mingled with hushed whispers of sound. Horns and cymbols meet eachother in a brief dance before being scuttled off to bring in low tones which taper int othe sound of waves washing the track into silence. Long-held notes run rampant as a weeping guitar, cello and a choral hum combine here on ",...when a seabird dies and the waters can't cry". As we progress, an entrancing piano joins in and adds a melancholic, mesmerizing touch to the piece. Slow rolling waves of sound wash over us as we absorb this sonic sculpture. A lone piano opens up track six, "...those who stare into blackness and wonder why life is so long". The ivory giant is soon met with his fellow string players, violin and cello. The dance they begin with eachother slowly waves between a frail reality and hopeless sadness. The pace quickens and we find the piano becoming more violent and rapid. The strings peek their way back through the veil of the echoing piano every so often to join the echoing keys. As the track spirals further towards its climax, the orchestra of sound chaotically wraps itself into a tight ball of whirling sound and quickly unwinds into its final breath, which seems to breathe life into the next track which is a drone of guitar and accordian. Water splashing bleeds through a toned drone. Howling sounds are whisked through this thick sounding drone and give the track a breathing feeling. Shapes swell with the background. Brief glimpses of unknown worlds flash before our eyes for just a moment before beings washed into the larger scheme of things. Sounds ebb and flow into an earthly, native feeling and echoes itself back into the crevices of time. A dreary swirling drone opens the final track of the disc. Strings and Brass instruments meld with eachother and create a haunting world. Sounds of wind and rain breeze through and wash the drone into a more tranquil place. Birds chirping accompanied by a static-like hiss break the swirl and wash us into a new drone which pushes its way through our speakers gently. We are met with strings again and a beautiful wave of sound that takes us into new realms. The sun appears to be rising over the hills in the distance and the clouds of confusion and anger are slowly being cleared as the new day begins. A stunning and beautiful end for such a wonderfully genius disc. |
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