Title: Larger than Life
Artist: Silent Art Orchestra
Genre: Acoustic / Electronic
Release Date: 29th May 2009
Label: Fastball Music (Bob Media)
Album Review
Behind the SILENT ART ORCHESTRA moniker the two musicians Thomas Maos and Sandi Strmljan are hiding who’ve combined their extraordinary skills in this project to give birth to a kind of music that the world hasn’t heard of before. What they’ve been creating in their lab was pressed onto a CD called ‘Larger than Life’.
The first construction we’re encountering after pushing the “Play” button names ‘East Mekka West’ and within the first minute you’re already getting absolutely intrigued by how Thomas Maos plucks the strings of his Dobro resonator guitar while being surrounded by clear-cut and definitely not easy digestible electronic soundscapes and percussion. The guitar play on ‘Shopoting Nawa Ather’ is best described with quirky. I don’t even know how someone can play like that the whole time and after being done still has none of his fingers broken. On ‘Mao’s on Mars’ a dreamy, melancholic and kind of spacey atmosphere is being created when the Dobro meets up with wide sound layers, scattered electronic rhythms and a healthy little doze of frequency manipulation.
‘Totenlied a.b’ gives the music of the two sound wizards an entirely severe and oppressing character. Even though the Dobro is as usual the most prominent instrument its sound is feeling much more discreet and restrained in its behaviour not to disturb. With ‘Silent Limassol (For My Father)’the stylistic range expands into jazz a bit whereas the rhythm isn’t made of real drums but of cunningly hooked samples and samples are also extensively used throughout in the form of field recordings. It is a contemplative track which makes even the listener getting lost in thoughts.
Surely an impressing work done on this album by the SILENT ART ORCHESTRA! No matter how often you spin this disc you always end up listening absolutely fascinated to the sound art that is presented to you on ‘Larger than Life’. A collaboration hopefully to last for more than just one album!
Tracklist
01. East Mekka West - 5:12
02. Blumenwiese - 5:18
03. Shooting Nawa Ather - 6:17
04. Mao's On Mars - 6:08
05. Dadim Dadim - 2:36
06. Totenlied a.b. - 5:08
07. Silent Limassol (For My Father) - 5:17
08. Friedrichshain - 6:44
09. Cold Schauer - 0:28
10. Autostrada - 5:20
11. Insomnia - 2:03
12. Pain Au Chocolat - 7:02
13. Klangfeld Hartmannswillerkopf - 5:22
14. Ozean - 5:40
Line-up
Thomas Maos - Dobro, Electronics
Sandi Strmljan - Drums, Electronics
Website
http://elektrogitarre.de/ / http://www.myspace.com/silentartorchestra
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Extras: -
Total: 8 / 10
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