Record Reviews

ORGANIC NOISES ~ ORGANIC NOISES LYNX 166 (Barcode: 5906395942558) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by Polish ensemble Organic NoisesFind albums by this artist, which comprises of multi-instrumentalist / vocalist Zofia Trystula HovhannisyanFind albums by this artist, violinist Joanna ChudybaFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Karolina WierciochFind albums by this artist, guitarist Robert WierciochFind albums by this artist, bassist Marcin ChatysFind albums by this artist and drummer Jan RusinFind albums by this artist. Several additional musicians guest on selected tracks. The album presents seven compositions, a short improvised intro and outro and five pieces based on traditional music, one Polish and four Armenian, arranged by the group members. The music is strongly influenced by the Folklore tradition of the beautiful Armenian music, which is brought up to date and ornamented by Fusion / Prog arrangements, creating a Jazz-Rock-World Fusion album, which is fascinating from start to finish. The Folklore influence is represented by the traditional woodwind instruments, such as the duduk, zurna and shvi, the violin and the vocal parts, whereas the keyboards and guitar represent the contemporary Western influence of Rock and Prog. The rhythm section manages to balance between the Caucasian odd rhythm patterns and the contemporary Western pulse with flair and obvious understanding of the entire musical spectrum. Cross-genre explorations are often very tricky undertakings and finding the right balance is always a challenge, which in this case simply works out perfectly. For people familiar with the enchanting and hypnotic Armenian melodies this album is a treasure chest, which manages to preserve the melancholy of the Armenian mountain ridges and expand it into contemporary soundscapes without spoiling the beauty or breaking the charm. The electric improvisations by the keyboards and the guitar are all vey tasteful and respectful towards the origins, which happens relatively rarely. On the album´s artwork the group asks the listener to remember the tragic chapter in Armenian history, the Armenian Holocaust, which happened in the early 20th Century – a dark stain on the human race, like all other Holocausts that we bear on our collective conscience. As someone who knows a thing or two about Holocaust, I can only join them and support their call for Remembrance. Overall this is an excellent debut album, full of beautiful, touching music and perfectly executed by these young musicians. It offers a fresh, but respectful glace at the tradition and manages to bring it up to date with panache. For cross-genre music lovers, World and Prog enthusiasts and just all true good music connoisseurs, this album is a winner!

Updated: 25/09/2019Posted: 25/09/2019

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