Mago

Item: Definition of Raw Moments from a Different Perspective
Author: Alex Klages

Definition of Raw Moments from a Different Perspective

(2003)

Reviewed by Alex Klages

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Label Ad Noiseam RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth2003

dark ambient electronic experimental industrial

This disc opens with a quiet piano riff-- and then the layering begins. Eminently melodic in style and form, this disc runs for over 70 minutes yet does not bog down under its own weight as so many electronic music discs do, even in the tracks which run longer than ten minutes (as two do on this disc). Primarily instrumental in style, some tracks feature thought-provoking vocals. There is a certain surreal mood to much of the music, as one would expect from tracks with titles such as "Tumbling down the rabbit hole" or "Your mind blew across the grass in ripples."

Being electronic music, the instrumentation is primarily synthesizers and programming of various sorts. However, touches such as the occasional guitar and piano give a richness to the sound which reflects the varying themes of the songs. The music is layered, but never overwhelmingly so-- the net effect is sparse but full. The lyrics are deserving of some mention, too. While primarily just a part of the overall tone color of the album, tracks such as "Like sand slips through my fingers" gain much from the vocals. In this particular track, the repeated lament of "Why?" drives the music forward in a very powerful way. Similarly, "Spaceships and piles of mud" features a female vocal which seems to lament the loss of childhood innocence, culminating with Christ's statement "And I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." There is something of the profound in much of the lyrics here, despite the fact that this group hails from Sweden and is not as familiar with English as they could be. "Thought there was more to come" is an existential meditation on life. "Black night, counting the stars/The end has come... I feel emptiness, if the life is the end."

Very worthy of note with this release is the packaging; a cardboard folded case with assorted drawings. The lyrics are on separate cards included in the packaging. The packaging is very effective, and helps the overall effect of the album. The packaging serves to reinforce the dark beauty of the project as a whole. This is an album which is not easily taken off my CD player once it gets on. While a completely different beast from most of the electronic music which I listen to (Joy Electric and other Plastiq Musiq bands), it has captured and retained my attention because of its inherent beauty. And a little beauty every now and again certainly doesn't hurt.

4 tocks