I really loved the last healthyliving album, so when I saw this project was their singer Amaya Lopez-Carromero, I jumped at the opportunity to give it a listen. In some ways, it's darker. It falls outside the realm of what we define as rock music, so if it's goth it's the same way Dead Can Dance is goth, but two songs in it's lush and grandiose at times but not dark. There is an almost prog-rock climax to "A Temple by the River builds up". Her voice is even more impressive in these songs than it was in healthyliving. Scott Mclean from healthyliving plays guitar on this album. But it's not loaded down with guitars. Amaya handles all the piano, which is the backbone of the songs as more abstract sounds come in contact with it,
In fact "Exuviae" wanders in this neo-classical ambiance, and holds less hook to its melody, but she is not writing anything in the realm of pop hear. Her multitracked harmonies work well on "Burial of the patriarchs". The piano lines are not riffy like say Tori Amos or Elton John who adhere to more traditional song structures. Though this music owes more to classical than jazz, I can hear a slight hint of Kate Bush influence in how the songs hang in this hovering haze of magic. Her voice flows along this to add to the ethereal swathe of sound she is creating, at times darker modes shift into play as a dynamic, but not the overall mood of the album. The almost ten-minute "Despenaperros" serves as the centerpiece of the album.
In comparison to some of the previous songs the four-minute 'Fiat Lux" is almost a pop song. It is certainly one of the album's most well-written pieces as it uses contrasts of sonic intensity well. The final song is possessed by a more dissonant ambiance. I will give this album a 9, while I might listen to a new healthyliving album more I can appreciate the artistry and talent invested in creating this piece of sonic whimsy.
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