acid being Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 RA - Visions Altar Records - ARDEP79 Ever since Earthcall came out eight long years ago, to quote from this new EP I have had a Burning Love Desire for RA to release more music, so to say I was excited when I found out about it would be an understatement! This is a downtempo release in a similar sort of style to the stunning album Unearthly (which has recently been remastered- not sure how they could improve on perfection!). Whilst I would have to say this one is not RA's most complex material, as always it's impeccably produced, highly pleasurable and soothing to listen to and a solid addition to their catalog. According to the credits, the Visions EP is a solo work by Lars W. Lind. I believe this is the first release from RA without Christer Borge-Lunde's involvement, so it is an interesting chance to hear Lars' influence on the project in isolation. 1. Enthralled 6:49 2. Mysterious Thing 6:51 3. Visions Of Touch 6:27 4. The Burning 7:18 1. Enthralled A seriously mellow and chilled out opening track. The synths wash over you and seem to melt together in a delicious slow ambience. 7/10 2. Mysterious Thing "The soul understands what the mind cannot conceive." a voice whispers enigmatically. This track turns the tension up just a notch with a more exotic flavor. 7/10 3. Visions of Touch The textures on this title track are delectable to my ears and brain, especially with that bass. That texture of the sound evokes thoughts of the synesthesia suggested in the track title. It's more upbeat, even funky, compared to the opening tracks. At the halfway point we get intense layers of euphoric synths in a mesmerizing chord progression. Now we're talking! 9/10 4. The Burning This has a trippier feeling than some of the earlier tracks with a pulsating ethereal voice and layers of gorgeous soundscape. It's simultaneously mellow, ambient, upbeat and psychedelic, which is a great achievement in itself, I think. We get a female voiceover with an American accent about Burning Love Desire. The theme of love, desire and romance is nice and I believe a change from the more purely spiritual or philosophical wisdoms we get in RA's previous tracks. I'll let you be the judge of how well it works here I think. 8/10 All in all, a great and extremely relaxing release and I hope with all my heart that we will be hearing plenty more from RA in the years to come. 8/10 https://ra-altar-records.bandcamp.com/album/visions 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoktorG Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 "Enthralled" starts off with a simple quiet piano-type melody, slowly evolving into a sweetly melancholy slow ambient track via squelchy and clicky percussion - kinda reminds me of ambient techno ala Autechre. There's a bass growl in this track that is appreciable, sounding like waves lapping on a shore. The big pads that come towards the end build to quite an intense climax. Super ambient track that is well structured, if somewhat simple. A- "Mysterious Thing" is just what it says on the tin - exotic ambience that reminds me a bit of Entheogenic. I like this track, though at times it verges on the generic. B "Visions of Touch" revs things up a bit in that it actually has a beat and is the outstanding track here, managing to be both chilled out and acidic, a winning combination. A "The Burning" has some sounds that have become generic for psychill - choirs, panpotted bass growls, swooshes etc. However, it also has a long voice sample about love that might well make this one of the few Goa tracks that is overtly romantic (it reminds me a bit of Boris Blenn's "the ultimate experience is love" sample from Galaxy's "Musication Celebration" on the Angel album). Is the romance here tantric-style or Romeo & Juliet type? I don't know, but even though I find the sample both intriguing and kitsch, this track is just a bit too cheesy for me. C I'm a big fan of RA, going right back to the 1997 "R.O.M./Azure Child" ep. I rate "To Sirius" very highly and "9th" is my favourite, but I also think "Earthcall" and "Unearthly" worthy works. This latest chill out ep from RA is solid, but I can't help feeling that it is just throat-clearing. The singing is yet to come. Let us hope we get another album soon. ~*~ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acid being Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 I'm glad you were the one to say cheesy, Doktor. I just couldn't bring myself to say that about anything from RA, though I could see how the sample can come across that way to some people. However I also think it's refreshing and sweet that they are brave enough to include something talking so straightforwardly about intense love and romance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoktorG Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 1 hour ago, acid being said: I'm glad you were the one to say cheesy, Doktor. I just couldn't bring myself to say that about anything from RA, though I could see how the sample can come across that way to some people. However I also think it's refreshing and sweet that they are brave enough to include something talking so straightforwardly about intense love and romance. Agreed. In certain realms, the accusation of cheesiness is the kiss of death and it can take guts to bring the cheddar in such realms. However, please allow me to clarify that while I find the sample both intriguing and kitsch, it is the generic elements of the track as a whole that make it a bit cheesy to me. It just seems a bit psychill-by-numbers, especially the angelic choirs towards the end. Please note that this does not decrease my appreciation of RA's fabulous art. I said a bit too cheesy, not quattro formaggi. 😅 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acid being Posted May 27 Author Share Posted May 27 1 hour ago, DoktorG said: Agreed. In certain realms, the accusation of cheesiness is the kiss of death and it can take guts to bring the cheddar in such realms. However, please allow me to clarify that while I find the sample both intriguing and kitsch, it is the generic elements of the track as a whole that make it a bit cheesy to me. It just seems a bit psychill-by-numbers, especially the angelic choirs towards the end. Please note that this does not decrease my appreciation of RA's fabulous art. I said a bit too cheesy, not quattro formaggi. 😅 Yes we're broadly in agreement although I'm listening to it again and the track keeps growing on me. The arpeggios and rhythm feel very psychedelic even if that kind of thing has been done many times before. It's rarely this beautifully polished. I forgot to say that RA's always been about themes of love, trust and hope but yes I understand you weren't referring to just the sample in particular with regard to cheesiness. I'm also a sucker for a good choir, though I like it better on darker tracks and it's just fantastic on Sheyba's Ancient Lands. I must admit I even used a choir sample at the end of my own latest attempt at a track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acid being Posted June 8 Author Share Posted June 8 RA - Blood Moons This unreleased track posted on soundcloud in 2019 deserves an honorable mention. This is upbeat classic Goa trance. At just over 2 minutes it is a nice demo of an unused idea. 8/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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