Batch #4

Not new purchases, but albums I thought I would review anyway...

Bleeding Heart Narrative "This Octopus Is Going To Eat Your Face" CDR [2008]
The first work of Oliver Barrett's BHN is limited to 100 copies of which I have #45. Sadly, the disc won't play in my CD player anymore and nor will my computer read it, but I did download the mp3s, so all is not lost. BHN are so diverse that they can't really be pigeon-holed into being one thing or the other. A unique mix of slow, brooding Neoclassical at first, and then the upbeat Pop-ish "Suitcase" hits you, followed by more Classical and then the volume is turned up way high for the droning "Pine Cones". A wonderful and interesting blend which certainly won't appeal to everyone.
(4 out of 5)

Amber Asylum "Songs Of Sex And Death" CD [1999]
I've ordered the new album and am currently waiting for it to land on my doormat, but let's jump back in time 10 years and take a look at the (usually) all-girl band's third disc. It's a truly haunting masterpiece. Sounds cliched, but I love listening to it late at night on my iPod, it just seems like the perfect time for such a dark, atmospheric recording. From the solemn acoustic guitar and near-Operatic vocals of "Could You" we are soon plunged into a chilling world of cello drones and icy violins. This is the band at their most experimental and also the most free. Whilst later works may seem very controlled and structured, this release was the opposite. You could almost drown in the evolving sea of sound. Truly amazing.
(5 out of 5)

Luigi Rubino "A Theme For The Moon" CD [2009]
This is the solo work of the pianist from Ashram and it's a very good effort indeed, if not a bit predictable. To be honest, it doesn't really sound much like Ashram, which was my presumption before buying, and that's neither good nor bad. I like Ashram a lot and I knew I would enjoy this too. A collection of Neoclassical tracks which fill the room with their melancholic beauty. Containing vocals which seem to lay very softly with the music, rather than standing out they trickle along with it. It sounds very pleasing but I find myself getting a little bored towards the end. Sometimes it is in danger of being background music.
(4 out of 5)