Jason Corder & Opium - Autunno

[abasio]

Jason Corder & Opium

Autunno

Databloem

2007

 

Tracklist

 

1 Aria D'Autunno (8:29)

2 Sottoterra (3:10)

3 Memoria In Slow-Motion (5:22)

4 Neromeccanico (2:46)

5 Dancing Bugs (7:04)

6 Fadeout To Rust (2:56)

7 Grey Dawn (7:10)

8 Curved Beam (8:53)

9 Overture (6:00)

 

Autunno is an ambient journey through autumnal soundscapes. The air of Autumn by James Corder from Off the Sky & Opium (Matteo Zini) is a true journey through semi warm sounds using a smattering of naturalness with their electronica & the result is something to behold. A very nice niche in my collection this has become.

 

1. Aria D'Autunno

We start this journey with some soft static & very subtle bells & light rain like percussion. The drone manages to feel like an autumnal wind & as the percussion dares become a little more noticeable the buzzing of an electronic wasp comes in like it's about to softly implode. Some simple melodious sounds surface mid way through & the percussion becomes chaotic. This sounds to me like the final throws of the summer insects, desperately trying to procreate before the cold death of pre winter takes them. All the subtle sounds from the beginning become more prominent in the end as the tiny chaos builds energy like it's about to explode but rather than a huge burst it slowly dies a cold death.

 

2. Sottoterra

After the chaos of the opening Aria we get soft relaxed sounds from the shore. Again there are soft chimes in the air & the textured sound of footsteps through the reeds. The wind picks up a bit and brings with it sharp metallic sounds like washed up flotsam & jetsam.

 

3. Memoria in Slow-Motion

The percussion sounds rushed & chaotic while the ambience & background textures sound relaxed & indeed in slow motion. The result of the mix is quite a contrast like hurriedly trying to recall a memory that will not resurface more than one image at a time. Eventually slow motion wins out as the mind realises that they key to a quick recall is to take ones time & let things come out by themselves.

 

4. Neromeccanico

Very relaxed watery track. Not just water sounds, all the sounds remind me of water. The way they drip down quicker & quicker is in an electronic shower makes me feel like acid rain has hardened & is raining metallic hail.

 

5. Dancing Bugs

The most percussive track so far with percussion that actually constitutes a beat. Steady, intricate beat at that just throbs out of the air. Little pings of light come from the darkness & slight melody dances around it all. This really is an aptly named track. I can just imagine fireflies dancing in the late summer/early autumn night sky. Very nice visual track, beautiful, calming & deep is this warm nighttime entertainment.

 

6. Fadeout to Rust

Soft natural sounds like that of birdsong is mixed with softly harsh metallic sounds. Think the rust being scraped off a piece of metal piping but without the painfulness in the ears. Imagine if you can loving that sound & that's what is presented here. Strange I know but that's what it is.

7. Grey Dawn

Once again we have almost perfect fusion of electronica & nature that the electronic sounds actually seem like they are part of nature. The the metallic & the bleeps are all one with the forest as the Ultra Violet rays come over the scene in waves of electronic nature. A very interesting ambient scene is painted that very much sounds like a cold morning outside on some alien planet.

 

8. Curved Beam

Imagine if you would the sound of the autumnal equinox. The day is as long as the night, the weather has started to get chilly, the bugs have stopped biting & the wind has yet to bite. The fields are full of small burrowing creatures making their preparations for the winter, the trees are turning a shade somewhere between red & brown. Some leaves have already tumbled to the Earth while others float gently in the cool breeze & more are still clinging to the life giving trees. This track manages to bring all that imagery into my head in a lovely melodic style. The soundscape painted in my mind looks like this

 

 

9. Overture

The overture really feels like the end to our autumnal journey. The warm sounds slowly get colder & the metal feels much more melodic & plodding than the hot shards of sharp metal they were before. The melody is very final in the way it tries to build energy & twists around & around into a coil before it finally loses it's battle against itself & dies the death that must come to all. The energy doesn't explode or anything like that it just simply fades into nothingness & pops out of existence.

 

 

So how was this journey into the Autumnal countryside? I loved it. It's exactly what it tries to be because it doesn't try too hard. The electronic elements fuse so well with the natural elements that even though they outweigh the natural sounds the overall effect is very serene & natural. A great album only marred by it's length. At under 52 minutes I'm left afterwards wanting more. Thankfully Databloem have other albums as pleasant on the ears. Unfortunately none I've heard fit this mold of Autumnal music. So I'm glad to have this album.