Wombatmusic - Shameful Silence (2007) - Chill Tribe Records

[MattMan]

 

Shameful Silence is easily one of the best albums I've heard in 2007, and the way this album has grown on me these last few days, I suspect it'll stay that way for a long time. Wombatmusic aka Elysium has now released a rock solid 12-track album through Chill Tribe Records. The album varies over a number of genres, with excellent continuity throughout its playtime. What struck me the most interesting about Shameful Silence, is the way some of the tracks are built up in a rather nontraditional way towards their end/climax.. We're all familiar with layer after layer being pumped over each other, some more blatant than others, but these tracks introduce buildups much more seamlessly and interesting. This is evident in the tracks "World Travelling Eclipse Chasers", "Artificial Earth Satellite", and "Shameful Silence I". This is also undoubtedly one of the key aspects of why I can recommend this album to any fan of chill out, ambient and electronic music. The struggle for an original sound is getting progressively harder within the genre of chilled out electronic music these days, but I feel this album still has something different to offer.

There are some real gems in here, impressive tracks to say the least. I will argue that Shameful Silence is more experimental than most of Elysium's previous work, and I appreciate it for its originality and creativity. It's filled with electronic soundscapes really blending in and out of each other, changing, and making you really stop and listen. Taking every advantage of the possibilities within two-channel stereo sound, the effects and holography this album is riddled with is truly a musical journey in itself. Well chosen vocal samples blending into the beats and melodies makes this an album standing very much on its own feet. I would describe almost none of the tracks as pure chill, there is certainly some fire under the kettle as an overall feel. There are even some mid-track tempo-changes! All inn all you find yourself getting increasingly interested in this album throughout its progress.

 

 

Shameful Silence is the first album released from Chill Tribe Records, where the quality of production, engineering and mastering is still consistent in every way. After a few listens you realize this is musically very much alike the tracks in the three previous compilations, all the more reason to check this album out.. Two thumbs up!

[Ambiendroid]

"Shameful Silence" is a very experimental, eclectic and psychedelic album. It's a journey through three worlds: world of the rituals (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4), world of the future (tracks: 5, 6, 7, 9) and world of the nostalgia (tracks: 10, 11, 12). The most weird track on this album is track number 8., "Copaelectrocabana", which is a totally eclectic fusion of electronic music with big latin touch and this is the only track from all that I don't know in which world could I put... "Shameful Silence" is a very deep album, it has mainly sad emotions. There are no bad tracks here, my favourite is "Shimmering Madness and Hovering Butterflies" which is a beautiful vision of oblivion.

[SeaFeel]

mmm...well is little tangled album...verry experimental...defenetly is not my style... i'm not impressive with this 6,5/10

[Nexus]

I listened to it about 3 times, don't remember a thing. It's not that good, 6/10 for me. Khooman on the other hand :clapping:

[PKS]

I listened to it about 3 times, don't remember a thing. It's not that good, 6/10 for me. Khooman on the other hand :clapping:

I think the album needs to grow on you a little, a least that's how it was for me... Listening to it from beginning to end as a journey give me positive surprises every time... It's so much variation and creativity in it that it takes time to sink in... Something for every taste I guess, a bit for those who want it tribal, a bit for those who want floating ambient, a bit for those who like synth pop influenced chill etc. It needs open minded music taste I guess..., which I guess I have... :drama:

[Chillseeker]

ok i am gonna play it now,.. it better be good or i will start floating towards you

[LLB]

1.

 

World Travelling Eclipse Chasers => Somehow this tune reminds me : Sonic Fusion - Tribal Warrior, not as percussive but in its long hypnotic groovy construction with African influences.

 

2. A Poem Of Hope => Direction orient with flutes & sitar which deliver bewitching melodies, more strangely you can notice dogs barking very far in the background.

 

3. Artificial Earth Satellite => Here, some voices are incorporated & i'm quite destabilized by the presence of the 'chiki chika' gimmick. Indeed for me, it's very connoted to the Latin eurodance productions (Not Real Presence group anthem's Chiki Chika). Here this gimmick confers a rhythm to the tune, a tempo; that's quite different from its original use.

 

 

4. 96 Plus A Few Seconds => Just a transition between a first-3 tracks «Deep , mental & hypnotic» part with a new direction in the album.

 

5. Time Zones => Lets place to more melody, nevertheless the way it's delivered is sounding too puffing for me : it's somehow lacking of conviction & results clumsy.

 

6. Future Society => A new step forward into melody & plus, i would add harmony. This tune contrasts with all the previous by its colouration, less sad, more contemplative & fairish or spacey.

 

The style differs too here : the rhythmic is more present with a first-plan sustained bassline.

 

Some little French words are scattered all over the song 'mon dieu!' (oh! my god) in order to probably highlight an un-wished situation.

 

7. You Are On My Mind =>A simple Piano + Wombat's vocal's song at first, the layer & synths only appear after 3'00 rejoined later on by the rhythmic, all this in a very soft mixing.

 

8. Copalectrocabana => Another step forward happiness with this traditional Brazilian theme in a Wombat's adaptation, more moody...

 

9. Why Not? => Constitutes the second transition's phase of the album toward the third & epilogue part of Shameful Silence.

 

10. Shimmering Madness And Hovering Butterflies => The tune is particularly airy with a freshness coming out from it.

 

11. Shameful Silence I

+

12. Shameful Silence II

 

=> Some texts by Houry Seukunian are incorporated , in English on the first part & more astonishingly in French again on the second part. The first part is more electronic whereas the second is more purified. These tracks constitutes a melancholic end to this album consisting in a realistic (melt of asking,doubts, hopes) vision from a 'mature' artist with his environment.

 

My favourites: 1,6,8,10,12