EYVIND KANG
With over fifty appearances on albums over the past decade from artists as diverse as Sunn O))), Mr Bungle, John Zorn, Marc Ribot, and many more, Eyvind Kang is as unclassifiable as his contemporaries. Drawing on global musics (i.e., not the commercially acceptable version that can be found on the shelves of those wishing to be perceived as “cultured”), jazz, avant-garde, classical, and whatever genre-deviant styles he turns his more-than-capable hand to, suffice it to say that Kang’s music is as innovative and challenging. ‘The Narrow Garden’ is no exception.
A magical journey through esoteric sounds, the album is a rich tapestry of textures and tones, beautiful melodies, the harmonious and the discordant, and a blend of both soothing and unsettling passages. The Eastern melodies that permeate ‘Forest Sama’i’ are mesmerizing and softly beckon the listener into the garden. The female vocal of the warming ‘Pure Nothing’ are simple and exquisite. After the tranquil atmosphere laid down by the first two tracks comes the discordance of the quietly disturbing ‘Usnea’, the track laced with sinister sounds and haunting melodies, a dark chill underpinning the experience. The female vocal that leads ‘Mineralia’ is, again, astounding, backed by simple rhythms and accompanied by some gorgeous musical passages that open up into a vast and powerful panorama. The title track is haunting, eerie, a horror soundtrack if ever there were one, an air of the supernatural hanging in the calm yet oppressive and ominous ambience. Thus, the serenity and joyous nature of ‘Nobis Natalis’ and ‘Invisus Natalls’ are all the more welcome, not just as an escape from the disconcerting experience of the title track, but as more of a process of equilibrium, the mounting intensity in the closing few minutes of ‘Invisus Natalls’ are worth the asking price alone.
As easily as he transcends genre classification, in ‘Narrow Garden’, Kang transcends the binary opposite of light and shade by giving the album colour. The melodic “musical” tracks are the more palatable of the tracks for those unfamiliar with the likes of Zorn or Frisell, for example, who take music, play it, play with it, turn it inside out, and re- and deconstruct it, whereas the darker tracks may take a number of listens before being appreciated as part of the whole. There are passages across the album where the music becomes indulgent and feels superfluous and directionless but those moments are thankfully short and so the flaws of the album are far outweighed by what are, frankly, incredible. Truly remarkable and highly recommended.
A magical journey through esoteric sounds, the album is a rich tapestry of textures and tones, beautiful melodies, the harmonious and the discordant, and a blend of both soothing and unsettling passages. The Eastern melodies that permeate ‘Forest Sama’i’ are mesmerizing and softly beckon the listener into the garden. The female vocal of the warming ‘Pure Nothing’ are simple and exquisite. After the tranquil atmosphere laid down by the first two tracks comes the discordance of the quietly disturbing ‘Usnea’, the track laced with sinister sounds and haunting melodies, a dark chill underpinning the experience. The female vocal that leads ‘Mineralia’ is, again, astounding, backed by simple rhythms and accompanied by some gorgeous musical passages that open up into a vast and powerful panorama. The title track is haunting, eerie, a horror soundtrack if ever there were one, an air of the supernatural hanging in the calm yet oppressive and ominous ambience. Thus, the serenity and joyous nature of ‘Nobis Natalis’ and ‘Invisus Natalls’ are all the more welcome, not just as an escape from the disconcerting experience of the title track, but as more of a process of equilibrium, the mounting intensity in the closing few minutes of ‘Invisus Natalls’ are worth the asking price alone.
As easily as he transcends genre classification, in ‘Narrow Garden’, Kang transcends the binary opposite of light and shade by giving the album colour. The melodic “musical” tracks are the more palatable of the tracks for those unfamiliar with the likes of Zorn or Frisell, for example, who take music, play it, play with it, turn it inside out, and re- and deconstruct it, whereas the darker tracks may take a number of listens before being appreciated as part of the whole. There are passages across the album where the music becomes indulgent and feels superfluous and directionless but those moments are thankfully short and so the flaws of the album are far outweighed by what are, frankly, incredible. Truly remarkable and highly recommended.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Ipecac
Album
THE NARROW GARDEN
Review by Jason Guest
RUNNING TIME:
39:41
RELEASE DATE:
30th Jan 2012
TRACK LISTING
1) Forest Sama'i
2) Pure Nothing
3) Usnea
4) Mineralia
5) The Narrow Garden
6) Nobis Natalis
7) Invisus Natalis
2) Pure Nothing
3) Usnea
4) Mineralia
5) The Narrow Garden
6) Nobis Natalis
7) Invisus Natalis
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
France
"A magical journey through esoteric sounds, the album is a rich tapestry of textures and tones, beautiful melodies, the harmonious and the discordant, and a blend of both soothing and unsettling passages."
