
Elegi - Varde [Miasmah Recordings - 2009]Varde follows on from the dread soaked sea bound wonder of Elegi 's first album 07's Sistereis- but offers up a denser, more aged, textured and varied edge to the projects doomed classical meets grainy electronics sound. The albums sound it’s built from atmospheric and heavy static grain, murky radio textures and voices. Creaks, bows and all manner ship like shifting and sea-bound sounds all to build-up a grim yet compelling sonic back canvas. To which melancholy and doomed melodic string simmer and slow down saws are added along with haunting piano pitter-patter; all of which pierces and slowly moves over the tracks atmospheric grain. The albums sound goes from hopeless and very doomed as slow bowed bass swoon and descend around you as if you’re going down slowly but surely with steel hulk of a Victoria cruise ship. To elegant yet eerier and slightly off centre piano beauty-that seems to hint of some approaching dread or an ominous shadow on a seemingly bright and breezy ship deck ready to envelop you. Or graceful and slow moving string swoon and filmatics that at first seem ornate and grand but slowly and surely becomes aged and more uneasy like a ship appearing out of fog that at first seems impressive and proud but as time goes by it agers and declines before your eyes. Through-out all of Varde there is a atmosphere which pervades you can literally cut with a knife, but underneath all the atmospheric and dense weight of sonic presence there are beautiful, haunting ,memorable tunes. As well as clever compositional moves and sonic juxtapositions making this an album that really grows and grimly blossoms over time      Roger Batty
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