Område
Edari
My Kingdom Music
2015
Område is a French duo which has a Swedish name and consists of Christophe Denhez (aka Bargnatt Xlx) on vocals & guitar and Jean-Philippe Quamer (aka Arsenic) on drums, bass, guitar & electronics. “Edari” is the duo’s debut release.
First of all, those who are not open-minded or do not fancy weird music amalgamations had better stop reading this review and seek another album closer to their liking. “Edari” is an entirely strange album… an amalgam of avant-garde, moody, dark, atmospheric, ambient, metal, trip-hop, post-industrial, jazzy, progressive, post-rock, soundtrack & psychedelic music. Huh, what did I tell you? This is a fully experimental album which addresses those who like to search for “out of the ordinary” music. It can’t be put under any music genre and that’s the good part of it since it can attract fans from all music styles… the bizarre ones though! To give you a better hint (just listen to the track below) think of the late Ulver and Manes along with some of the paranoia of Dødheimsgard, Arcturus & Ved Buens Ende. Still, the band moves on its own path and blends its influences gratifyingly. The special guests on the album are: Guillaume Bideau (Ex-Scarve, Mnemic, One Way Mirror) on vocals, Asphodel (Penumbra, öOoOoOoOoOo) on vocals, Leo Sors & Damien Legret on saxophone and Kriss Mndra (Master Crow) on trumpets. The album was mixed & mastered by Edgar Chevalier. The production is very smooth and full.
“Edari” is not an album for every time of the day. It can be better “experienced” late at night in total silence and with full attention. If you listen to it while doing something else, as background music, you won’t feel a damn thing… and you’ll be forced to put something more optimistic on your music player. If you cannot spend time on such albums then it’s better to bypass them. There’s no middle way as far as experimental ambient & strange music is concerned. Either you dive deep into its odd cosmos and become part of it or you simply miss in. I’m really curious to see what the next steps of this duo will be since they have raised the bar quite high with their debut album. Next time you feel like getting lost in your thoughts along with a glass of red wine… do not forget to let Område accompany you…
First of all, those who are not open-minded or do not fancy weird music amalgamations had better stop reading this review and seek another album closer to their liking. “Edari” is an entirely strange album… an amalgam of avant-garde, moody, dark, atmospheric, ambient, metal, trip-hop, post-industrial, jazzy, progressive, post-rock, soundtrack & psychedelic music. Huh, what did I tell you? This is a fully experimental album which addresses those who like to search for “out of the ordinary” music. It can’t be put under any music genre and that’s the good part of it since it can attract fans from all music styles… the bizarre ones though! To give you a better hint (just listen to the track below) think of the late Ulver and Manes along with some of the paranoia of Dødheimsgard, Arcturus & Ved Buens Ende. Still, the band moves on its own path and blends its influences gratifyingly. The special guests on the album are: Guillaume Bideau (Ex-Scarve, Mnemic, One Way Mirror) on vocals, Asphodel (Penumbra, öOoOoOoOoOo) on vocals, Leo Sors & Damien Legret on saxophone and Kriss Mndra (Master Crow) on trumpets. The album was mixed & mastered by Edgar Chevalier. The production is very smooth and full.
“Edari” is not an album for every time of the day. It can be better “experienced” late at night in total silence and with full attention. If you listen to it while doing something else, as background music, you won’t feel a damn thing… and you’ll be forced to put something more optimistic on your music player. If you cannot spend time on such albums then it’s better to bypass them. There’s no middle way as far as experimental ambient & strange music is concerned. Either you dive deep into its odd cosmos and become part of it or you simply miss in. I’m really curious to see what the next steps of this duo will be since they have raised the bar quite high with their debut album. Next time you feel like getting lost in your thoughts along with a glass of red wine… do not forget to let Område accompany you…