Kiki Bohemia & Sicker Man - Waiting For Wood [Blankrecords - 2022]Having quite a prolific background, either separately or as collaborators, singer/multi-instrumentalist Kiki Bohemia (aka Karla Wenzel) and electric cellist Sicker Man (aka Tobias Vethake) are joining forces once again. Waiting For Wood finds them venturing deeper into their collective sound exploration of slow-paced and transcendental experimental music, atonal and fused with secluded oriental elements, spicing the whole outcome! Hypnotic and sporadically -but spatially- rhythmic, the album is based on the traits of the deeply rotted electronics and the mesmerizing cello, with their use fully expanded, within a balanced conjoined work. Undeniably, these ambient-ish soundscapes are quite sensual and deeply emotional due to their make-up, delivering constant cinematic snapshots of utter beauty. Long, haunting and thick sequences of enigmatically emerged melodies, homogenized and serene. The compositional attitude is stellar and the album is characterized throughout by a poetic calmness and eerie materialization. From time to time, the splinters of electronic spikes and outbursts are magnifying- boosting the atmosphere. Moreover, the vast drones are functioning like vortexes, accumulating everything in their embrace and then launching that material everywhere. There’s power and there’s a punch along with the elegant mood!
Aesthetically, there are plenty of references to be observed. From a loose sense of doom (metal) of the likes of Sunn o)) in the low-end parts, to Mia Zabelka work in others, Waiting For Wood is plethoric and verbal. Though at the same time seems introverted, as everything is crafted in a ritualistic and circular way (hence the drones), within a dreamlike state and dare to say, erotically charged! The rhythm is pure aural lust and the music is resonating until the end.
Overloaded and rich in terms of production and musicianship, this is a work where opposing frequencies are clashing and exploding in a sophisticated manner, creating a solid dipole of melancholy and the joy of anticipation. A state-of-the-art depiction of the inner pilgrimage to escalating music creation into further and new adventures. To check it for yourself Karl Grümpe
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