Renato Moraes- Progbrasil.com.br
Songs from Mirage é o terceiro CD da banda da Antuérpia Aranis, banda que representa o que que tem de melhor do chamber rock atual. O septeto ganhou a colaboração de três vocalistas e o disco é uma suíte de 52 minutos. O som da banda continua com suas influências de tango, música minimalista, Univers Zéro, música folclórica européia e jazz. Os vocais são em latim e lembram mistura de canções célticas, música sacra e de corais que exploram a música folclórica como o coral feminino Le Mystere dês Voix Bulgares. A combinação é fantástica. As canções vão de momento de pura delicadeza até faixas de interpretações intensas e cheias de energia. A maior parte das faixas tem vocais, mas algumas são instrumentais. Ouvir o disco todo é uma viagem maravilhosa passando por motivos ciganos, de música clássica, sacra, tango, jazz e tudo combinado com muita inteligência e bom gosto. Os vocais são construídos com grande criatividade, podendo passar por momentos em que as três vocalistas cantam em uníssono ou em contrapontos muito bonitos e as vozes não são usadas apenas nos momentos calmos, pois a última faixa, Finale, a energia vem dos dez músicos e cantores e explodem de forma grandiosa. Esse CD é maravilhoso e vai agradar desde fãs do Univers Zéro até aqueles que gostam de new age. Em 2010 o novo projeto do Aranis terá três convidados, Dave Kerman (Present, 5uus, Thinking Plague, U Totem) na bateria, Pieree Chevalier (Present, Univers Zéro) nos teclados e Stefan Wellens (violino). O projeto é chamdo de RoqueForte! Esperem, mas enquanto isso fiquem com Songs from Mirage.
Date: 25-11-09
by Wayside Music
Aranis - Songs from MirageSKU HOME 446058The third album by this excellent new music/alt-classical ensemble. For avery small country, Belgium certainly has a easily identifiable soundingstyle of new music, and Aranis, a septet of fantastic young players, fitsright into the chamber music/chamber-rock sound that we all know from fellowcountry-groups like Louise Avenue, Cro Magnon, Julverne and Univers Zero, aswell as other European bands such as DAAU, Lars Hollmer's various ensembles,Noetra, Silence IV, Penguin Cafe Orchestra and Gatto Marte. The bandconsists of 2 violinists, accordion, piano, guitar, flute and double bass.For this album, for the first time, they are featuring occasional vocals by3 women singers who add a Medieval Babes kinda touch to the proceedings -and it works! For fans of this sound, this will will thrill and amaze.Probably their best yet - and that's saying something. Highly recommended.
Date: 15-10-09
www.progarchives.com
Review by Sean Trane
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog-Folk Specialist
Even if Aranis' EP Hidden Soundscapes was a collaboration with Toon Fret and not an album per se, it was warning us that changes were due to chamber prog realm and Mirage is the first step to these changes. Among the changes is definitely the artwork, the results the encounter of the two males of the debut and the five females of their second album. Obviously the baby there will be on most of the member's minds in the coming years, starting I think with their piano player that has not played the two French gigs this year. Then of course the three heavenly singers, each as beautiful as the five other female muses of the group. I think Stijn and Joris are among the luckiest musicians around.
First and most striking is the addition of three singers that act mainly as choirs (but not only) much the way that the Kobaian singers do for Vander's Magma's music, even if Aranis doesn't go Zeuhl. The next striking thing is how darker Aranis' musical realm has become: from light and happy and falsely careless (the band is always very tight) to now darker, thoughtful, sombre (but not sinister or macabre), it's quite a swing they managed in just one album. And as a result, Aranis plays much slower music than in their first two albums, but also becomes more solemn at times.
From the contrabass drones come out one then three slow moaning voices, leaéding the way for Marjolein's accordion, before Axelle's piano leads the same accordion into a French-sounding valse? The 6-mins+ Ouverture certainly give plenty to the listener, but the boundaries are not set yet. Probably the most energetic track of the album is Chamber Rock, a track that brings us back to the first two albums, but it is sandwiched between two slow sung tracks like the single voice Fresia and its reprise. A little further Airesym and Jelimena are obvious highlightsas the closing 10-mins Finale is. A bit more dissonant (that's rather new also from Aranis) are tracks like Aynu and Lever In Plakjes and one can feel that they need more experience to venture out in this area. Enjuminenna is moreof the same in that area.
Well if you liked the first two albums with its instrumental chamber prog, you might want to be careful when approaching this third album, which has taken a deep and slower pace and turned in some ways a bit between Magma (the unavoidable comparison due to the choirs) and Univers Zero (the slow dark chamber music) without going to the extremes of these two, but Songs From Mirage is just as worthy as its predecessors, if not more.
Date: 01-10-09