Zero Cult - Ikebana

[abasio]

Zero Cult

Ikebana

Cosmic Leaf Records

2007

 

Tracklist

 

1 Nitrogen (7:59)

2 Part Of Rapture (7:54)

3 Violet Room (7:05)

4 Echoes (Cydelix Remix) (7:23)

5 Z-51 (7:05)

6 Utopia Train (Side Liner Remix) (5:42)

7 Chemicalove (8:23)

8 Serenity (7:57)

9 Rainspotting (7:33)

10 Monolife (D. Batistatos Remix) (4:41)

 

I remember someone recommending this to me but I have no idea what it was referred to & after listening to it I can't place my finger on what it was. This is different enough to most chill releases I have heard this year to make it worthwhile. The production is clean & at times cold. Crisp sounds with some melancholic touches. A few tracks err on the side of being too cheesy but somehow work. Some are decent without being mind blowing while others feel like they have been ruined by just one or two elements.

 

1. Nitrogen

A great opener to this album. It has a kind of dark mechanical feel to the intro but this is overpowered by the beginning of the melody that just seems to come out of the starry sky. Combine that with the little Sci Fi noises floating about gives a really spacey atmosphere. A nice slow beat is very crisp. The sci fi comes to a head when it feels like electronic water floating through my brain. Very nice opener.

 

2. Part of Rapture

The intro to this track contains a sample done just the way I like it. Distorted enough so I can't make out more than the initial work. For me this always makes it trippier, deeper with more mystery. A little acidic melody just precedes a clear slow beat. The background ambience really makes the melody stand out in a futuristic spacey way. I imagine impossibly tall buildings side my side for miles & miles when I listen to this. The melody that comes in at the end is what escalates this track from good to excellent. With the same atmosphere it creates a more melancholic feel. Really beautiful.

 

3. Violet Room

This doesn't quite reach the rapture of the last track but it's an enjoyable little number. Interesting beats and a slow bassline that hums through the background. A melody that is subtle & spacey. Strings that come in over a female vocal stabbing in & out. Lots of cool little sounds, very nice for Christmas time (in my twisted little brain at least). Overall it's a pretty good track but just lacks something to make it stand out more.

 

4. Echoes (Cydelix Remix)

A very cheesy but enjoyable vocal (still) dominates the track. It's fun if not very good. Like a guilty pleasure. I have no idea why I like it, it should by my own reasoning ruin the track which besides from this does everything right without blowing my socks off. Rather than destroying a perfectly nice piece of music it actually fits in well & give it a quirky feeling. I'll see how it holds up after the many listens I plan to give this track.

 

5. Z-51

This has a military feel to it. The beats & the bass all sound like they are marching forwards in an orderly fashion. The dark voice sample repeats give it an iron curtain air & when the longs synth drones come in the music really feels very cold, dark & soulful. An excellent edge of melancholy mixed in with the sounds of the process.

 

6. Utopia Train (Side Liner Remix)

This has a very nice bassline. The beats are crisp & clear as well as intricate & the acid line in the beginning is triiiiiiiiipy!!! That makes way for a melody though which to begin with sounds like a mistake but it evolves into a very nice dreamy track. Just when you think it's gone on long enough it changes it's momentum & direction. This doesn't knock my brain out of whack but it's a decent track.

 

7. Chemicalove

A simple melody stands out from the rushing spaciness of the background. It sounds a bit weird until the bassline comes which compliments it perfectly. Trippy little beats & a more subtle melody which seems to oscillate in and out of this dimension could have made this track great but the later melody is a bit annoying and is so prominent that it can't be ignored. I would have stuck with the subtle melody that feels like it's taking me between realities but he sticks with the other one & while it progresses into a nicer sound I could have been happier.

 

8. Serenity

A serene sound indeed. Melody coming from piano & electronica twisting round each other perfectly. The beats are quite prominent & while standing out still manage to give this a very relaxed feeling. While very peaceful throughout some of the sounds that fly through it do not sound great when listening in headphones. The final melodic run while led into very well is exactly the same as at the start of the track. It sounds like it's going to be different but isn't. Damn tease.

 

9. Rainspotting

More good sample work & cool strings, he should try strings more he's good with them. It all sounds very deep & with a slow plodding beat I get the feeling that I'm floating away. The first time I've had that floaty feeling on the album. Nice melodic touches here & there without any real melody. The bassline fills in here to keep it interesting. Not a melodic track but a subtle melody comes in towards the end briefly but fades out pretty quickly. The main problem is that it continues along the same lines for too long. It should either be shorter or change more in the latter stages.

 

10. Monolife (D. Batistatos Remix)

A short punchy number to end on. The beats are strong & take over the track entirely. The seems to be some good stuff in the background but it's drowned out by the beats & the melody. Takes those out & I think you'd have a great little ambient piece. I wonder which way the remix has gone.

 

 

All in all this is about half a great album. There is some good stuff & the tracks Part of Rapture, Z-51 & Nitrogen are excellent tracks but the remixes included are a let down. My main problem with the album is that non of the tracks flow into each other, when one track finishes the start of the next does not sound very good. To sudden, especially the ones that start quickly after an ambient outro. It either needs more space between the tracks ore to have light mixing to make this sound more than just a collection of tracks. It's a nice enough album without being a masterpiece. There is definitely potential for this guy to make a great album in the future.

[amphiton]

That's the usual stuff with Cosmic Leaf. "Half good" is exactly what you have to expect.

[Trance2MoveU]

I liked it. Even the little breakbeat piece at the end. The first 2 tracks though are outstanding.

 

Mdk

[pdinklag]

Lovely album this one! Not as good as Clouds Garden, but it's one of those albums that need to be listened fully.

 

I wonder: am I the only one that has issues with the last two tracks on CD?

It seems the CD is oddly shaped and all readers I tried have serious problems with the last two.