Glacial Procession

As my close Jamendo friends know I am very shortly departing the Emerald Isle for pastures anew in New Zealand. I hadn't expected to be doing any more reviews here for a while but I can't let this release pass me by. It will be a very long flight out to there but I will be finding room on my little on-board player for this one to join the other Caustic Reverie albums and make my journey as comfortable as possible.

Here we have another fine example of music that will gently but surely work itself into your mind, slowly taking over your conscious state before it carries you away into the depths and chasms of that imaginary world inhabitated only by yourself set, as it is, deep within the recesses of your creative consciousness. Your trip has begun on its latest journey of musical discovery. Music from the deep for the higher levels of the mind.

Thought provoking and involving, the latest Caustic Reverie release, hits the heights of musical creativity that others may strive for but which so many fall short of attaining. If you have enjoyed the earlier releases then this one will not fail you. It is a voyage to be taken, and enjoyed, again and again. Perhaps the German reviewer was right when he said "Not Bad". Shame he only got the score half right.

As has been inferred, if not directly stated, this music instantly has, and continues to preserve and present for its listeners, something from the depth. That strikes me in more than one way, as does the music. I like the inspiration, it has immense appeal for me. Firstly then, the depth of time. Glaciers having been around a lot longer than us, even as a coherent species as such. Within their gradual procession there is much accumulation and this incorporates a force that is, certainly within its own frame of reference, irresistable. Having said that, at a few inches a year, to some degree difficult to assess progress.

Secondly, having referred to the extent of the lifespan of a glacier, there is perhaps something to be said for tapping into another accumulation over time, that refers to a collective consciousness. Inasmuch as we, as a species, owe some of our untranslatable memory to such natural phenomena. And, phenomenal it surely is. Full of pitfalls for the explorer, a similar experience may be had for the listener. It is easily believed that from such sound manipulation a reverie thus arises and encompasses the listener (and the associated local environment). That such freeform floating in inner space may have a relatively equal set of dangers. The odd crevasse, here and there perhaps.

So it is, that the first three parts, even as glacial processions are the sum of its sources, join together. In some ways, this appears seamless, but glaciers carry with them the testament of history. Of the weather, of intrepid beings that have endeavoured to explore and traverse such barren expanses, literally of anything that gets in the way. That element of relentlessness is inherent in this creativity. Though it is a necessarily creeping movement, certainly not a barrage. Elegantly done, although firm and fair. Somewhat like nature itself. Therein is a calm determination to go with the flow of natural, cosmic forces.

Knowing how the moon affects the movement of water, what influence does the moon exert of the life-cycle of a glacier? Does it refer, its effect being gentle, to minor influence overall? As obviously, quick changes, even over the lunar month, are not greatly to hand in the existence of a glacier. However, almost as if this consideration was anticipated by the artist, there are further justifications, which are apparent to me, though I have explored too few mountainous regions. Having said that, there are mountains of the mind, which this readily refers to and produces a magical quality of atmospherics. This is done eminently well by this artist.

So, back to the music and the inclination to gradual movement of the subject matter, real or metaphorical. Moulin, literally almost the lubricating aspect of glaciers, are perhaps the more active results of various influences from outside the presence of the glacier itself, that become necessarily integral. Simply, a flow of water that penetrates, forming a crevasse and working its way underneath, for the most part. I feel that the musical interpretation fits, and can imagine being on the surface, prone to the exigencies of wind and rain, snow and hail. Whereas, that greater mass than I, the glacier, takes it all into its long, langourous stride.

This wonderfully captured procession, is then capped off, or should I say truncated perhaps (for I could see it going on still with significance and justification) by the final track, Calving. I believe, if memory serves me right, that this could refer to the breaking of a glacier at the forefront of its existence. This may be due to pressure exerted against resistance of the locale, and all that lies within its forward motion, its path. Possibly there is room to refer neatly to environmental issues, similarly to ice-bergs, where the breakdown of these massive, beautiful structures of water are slowly being decimated. Either way, a fantastic vision in sound. An excellent achievement, yet again.