Title: Sonnambula
Artist: Stendeck
Genre: Electronic
Release Date: 3rd February 2009
Label: Tympanik Audio
Album Review
Classically trained pianist Alessandro Zampieri formed STENDECK in 1999 out of a growing interest in electronic music. His first demo album ‘A Crash into another World’ was very well received in his home country Switzerland. Now after two official and critically acclaimed albums the latest one being ‘Faces’ from 2007 Alessandro comes back with his newest effort, titled ‘Sonnambula’.
Spacey layering builds into a sustained emotive stream that’s crafting a colourful sonic universe and a wide environment for the propulsive ever changing sequence of intricate beats in the opener ‘Something Special is going to happen’ to unfold. ‘Through tiny Windows we wonder Constellations’ first gives off a feeling of complete weightlessness like being close to reaching the stars before the insidious, craggy rhythms drag you back down to earth again. ‘Admira & Bosko’ then takes a different direction in bringing together contemporary classic elements in the form ingeniously played piano lines evolving in the process under high-pitched ambience hovering juts above them. One of my favourites on ‘Sonnambula’! ‘Blind Army Parade’ in its beginnings breeds a claustrophobic vision of dark urban canyons incorporating distant muffled sounds and occasional deep drones that later on get complemented by a protean rhythmic array mingling in broken percussions as well. The longing evoked by the dramatic strings introduced in ‘Everytime I try to reach you, you just fade away’ seems unbearable before they smoothly fade to leave the arena to trembling, distorted beats eventually merging with the melodic layers.
Listening to the wonderfully brittle piano lines and strings in ‘Happy little Children playing on the Cherry Tree’ always makes me a bit nostalgic and in my thoughts I’m travelling back in time to my childhood when all the troubles of an adult’s life still were far away and deciding what to play next was all that mattered. Such a beautiful piece of music! The album concludes with ‘Sonnambula (Don’t Worry it’s just a Dream)’ whose fluid melodies get increasingly displaced by white noises. Everything gets fuzzier as the track is progressing and eventually the song culminates in a noisy cacophony. A strong emphasis on the album is placed on expansive and emotive soundscapes for you to drown in but also the rhythmic element is taken care of with top notch elaborate constructions. All elements together make it a real pleasure listening through the album over and over without risking getting bored. Don’t miss out on this masterpiece.
Tracklist
01. Something Special is going to happen – 4:29
02. Through tiny windows we wonder Constellations – 4:43
03. Lullabies from the cliff by the raging Sea – 4:22
04. It must be Heaven – 4:03
05. Admira & Bosko (Love during the time of War) – 3:21
06. Blind Army Parade – 4:57
07. Dead Dancing Triangle – 3:39
08. Lunar Attraction – 5:14
09. Every time I try to reach you, you just fade away – 3:12
10. Hunters of the last summer breeze – 4:06
11. Different exotic forms of lightning and collateral atmospheric phenomena – 4:36
12. Safari in the blue tail's cockatoo's Garden – 4:16
13. Broken Hearts Carillion – 3:47
14. Happy little Children playing on the Cherry Tree – 2:52
15. I fear all the moments you'll need me and I won't be there – 4:06
16. An autumnal afternoon in the Family's House – 4:38
17. Sonnambula (Don't worry it's just a Dream) – 4:41
Line-up
Alessandro Zampieri - All music, Production
Website
http://www.stendeck.com/ / http://www.myspace.com/stendeck
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 9
Sound: 9
Extras: -
Total: 9 / 10
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