UPDATE:
Au4 have gone Indiegogo! As an independent, unsigned band, this is a way to raise funds for touring and printing materials, such as CDs or LPs (vinyl), but also other goodies fans always want and get for the contribution they make.
So head on down to their campaign page at Indiegogo and be generous - support independent musicians! Au4 make great music and great music should be appreciated.
You can read my amateurish insights about the record here.
You can listen to the album here.
Thursday, 31 January 2013
Thursday, 17 January 2013
“…And Down Goes The Sky”
MySpace was an amazing vehicle for musicians a long time ago... In 2006, a quirk of fate sent me to the page of Au4 to fall in love with their music. I found them again on Facebook about a year ago, and waited for an announced second album. When it arrived, on 5th December 2012, it was like 6 years went by in a flash.
“…And Down Goes The Sky” is that much awaited second album of this Vancouver based band. (Much awaited by me, that is, and a hand full of fans, as this project is little known outside the Canadian borders, as mind boggling as that may be.) It has proven the pattern of second albums, in my experience. It not only surpasses the first album creatively and technically, it overcame every expectation I might have had.
This is not an evaluation, as I can't really explain, nor would presume to explain music the way a music critic does, I just like it or I don't. But I wanted to say a few words about this record. I also wanted to wait some time before saying anything, to allow the initial excitement to die down, and actually see if I still enjoyed listening to it after having heard it the first few times, put it away, and listened again. And so, today, I can tell you this: it made it through the test.
Being labelled as electronica, with influences such as NIN and Sigur Rós, both amazing projects (the latter being one of my all-time favourites), you will be surprised at how Au4's music does not sound like that at all. There is a very intense organic side to it, brought in by string and brass sections, deep and full bass lines and perfect voice harmonies. This record is indeed a masterpiece that defies classification. The melodies are moving, the arrangements voluminous, grandiose at times, and then a streamlined, almost spartan voice surprises you with that apparent simplicity only perfect inspiration can produce.
Being labelled as electronica, with influences such as NIN and Sigur Rós, both amazing projects (the latter being one of my all-time favourites), you will be surprised at how Au4's music does not sound like that at all. There is a very intense organic side to it, brought in by string and brass sections, deep and full bass lines and perfect voice harmonies. This record is indeed a masterpiece that defies classification. The melodies are moving, the arrangements voluminous, grandiose at times, and then a streamlined, almost spartan voice surprises you with that apparent simplicity only perfect inspiration can produce.
It also delivers in the form of words, with lyrics that present a theme and an argument. According to the band, as described in their website (by clicking on each song, you will get a synopsis of the meaning behind it), these 11 songs tell tales on losing faith, on discovering that God does not exist and that there is no heaven to look forward to.
Perhaps that's true. For the sake of that argument, I will say that these same 11 songs remind me of that scene in the film Amadeus, where Salieri describes the music of Mozart as the voice of God. Now, hold down your horses, I'm not comparing Au4 to Mozart! My point is that, as I see it, God is not an ominous figure hanging above us in the heavens, as in Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam. It is in us and it shows itself through those of us who create beauty. Au4 have created something beautiful.
As for heaven, it's also not a physical place where you go to when you die if you've been good; it resides in that place in our souls where we go to when we are given the opportunity to experience such beauty. Every time you say "I'm in Heaven!" for whatever reason, that's where Heaven is. Listening to this album is a 64 minutes holiday in Heaven. Every single time. And there are a few clouds nine in there, in the angelical So Just Hang On, Beautiful One, in the laughter and love that fills Forever Dancing Under a Fallen Sky, in the poetry of These Subtle Lights ... all of it right here on Earth.
If there's any plausibility in this theory, Au4 can rest assured that they won't be "gone in 3 seconds". Such music lives forever, and in it, so do they. And even if we're smaller than a Planck length, we still are. "Suck it up".
This all may sound a bit over the board and dramatic, I can be prone to enthusiasm, but it's the way I personally understand spirituality (in a slightly pagan way), and the part that music plays in it. It pretty much applies to all the music that I love.
To conclude, you should lend them your ears. As a snippet of what you will find in “…And Down Goes The Sky”, I'll leave you with the last track, Over The Edge It Goes, the whole 14 glorious minutes of it. Enjoy the superb guitar solo by Daniel Moir, slightly reminiscent of The Wall, and every bit as good.
Perhaps that's true. For the sake of that argument, I will say that these same 11 songs remind me of that scene in the film Amadeus, where Salieri describes the music of Mozart as the voice of God. Now, hold down your horses, I'm not comparing Au4 to Mozart! My point is that, as I see it, God is not an ominous figure hanging above us in the heavens, as in Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam. It is in us and it shows itself through those of us who create beauty. Au4 have created something beautiful.
As for heaven, it's also not a physical place where you go to when you die if you've been good; it resides in that place in our souls where we go to when we are given the opportunity to experience such beauty. Every time you say "I'm in Heaven!" for whatever reason, that's where Heaven is. Listening to this album is a 64 minutes holiday in Heaven. Every single time. And there are a few clouds nine in there, in the angelical So Just Hang On, Beautiful One, in the laughter and love that fills Forever Dancing Under a Fallen Sky, in the poetry of These Subtle Lights ... all of it right here on Earth.
If there's any plausibility in this theory, Au4 can rest assured that they won't be "gone in 3 seconds". Such music lives forever, and in it, so do they. And even if we're smaller than a Planck length, we still are. "Suck it up".
This all may sound a bit over the board and dramatic, I can be prone to enthusiasm, but it's the way I personally understand spirituality (in a slightly pagan way), and the part that music plays in it. It pretty much applies to all the music that I love.
To conclude, you should lend them your ears. As a snippet of what you will find in “…And Down Goes The Sky”, I'll leave you with the last track, Over The Edge It Goes, the whole 14 glorious minutes of it. Enjoy the superb guitar solo by Daniel Moir, slightly reminiscent of The Wall, and every bit as good.
…And Down Goes The Sky
Get the digital album here
Physical release: TBA (check their Facebook for updates)
Au4 are: Ben Wylie, Aaron Wylie, Nathan Wylie and Jason Nickel
With the vocal participation of:
Anna Vandas, Melanie Krueger, Josh Wylie
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Into the blogsphere I go!
I always wanted to write and knowing now is as good a time as any, well, hello there. Also, blogs allow you to put the thoughts that pop in your head out there with no need for a publisher. Just click, click, click! And away, click, clicking am I!
The blog is called My Sanhedralite for two reasons: first, I like the word and use it as a nickname in several sites and forums online, and second, because it comes from the lyrics of a song called To The Shore I have loved since I was in my teens. You can find it in the player below, among a few other of my favourites from this band. It's a made up word, but it may come from Sanhedrin, the name of a supreme council, or court, in ancient Israel. A little bit of judgement might also occur here once in a while, and those words might also fall to the floor, shatter into a million tiny pieces and disappear through the cracks. Wisdom and reflection will be qualities upon which to practice (and hopefully to succeed in).
Although I am Portuguese, English will the language of choice for this blog. I'll try my best to write correctly. There is a lot ado about nothing as far as the Portuguese language is concerned nowadays, with all that spelling agreement nonsense (a pet peeve of mine that might come up here eventually), when, in fact, people should be worrying about protecting and writing their own language properly, and learning English as fast as possible. It should come as no surprise that English will be the common language to us all sooner rather than later. It kind of already is, actually. Wake up and smell the roses. Sniff. And I don't mean I'm sniffing at that, English is a beautiful, flexible language and I love it.
Lastly, this will help me keep my determination of walking for half an hour everyday. Two people I admire do it and for very different reasons, Nile Rodgers and Michael Moore, but it all comes down to staying healthy in the body and mind, and enjoying the fresh air. I've been translating Nile Rodgers blog for a while now, and that's always a highlight in my day. From him I'll borrow the inspiration of writing about what pops in my head when I walk; from Michael, the reason. If you haven't heard about it, check our his Facebook page here. It's a New Year's resolution and I want to keep it. Unless it rains. Then there will have to be an alternative - any ideas?
Lastly, this will help me keep my determination of walking for half an hour everyday. Two people I admire do it and for very different reasons, Nile Rodgers and Michael Moore, but it all comes down to staying healthy in the body and mind, and enjoying the fresh air. I've been translating Nile Rodgers blog for a while now, and that's always a highlight in my day. From him I'll borrow the inspiration of writing about what pops in my head when I walk; from Michael, the reason. If you haven't heard about it, check our his Facebook page here. It's a New Year's resolution and I want to keep it. Unless it rains. Then there will have to be an alternative - any ideas?
That's it for starters. Whether this writing business will be any good or not, remains to be seen - by you, of course. If there is a you out there, that is. I certainly hope so.
(PS: I'm also a duranie, as some of you may have guessed by now. A duranie is someone who is a fan of Duran Duran for various reasons, including but not limited to, the music. In my case it's just because of the beautiful music they have made. And, obviously, because John Taylor is the most gorgeous bass player to have ever tread this Planet Earth. El-oh-El. Pun intended. Have a listen!)
(PS: I'm also a duranie, as some of you may have guessed by now. A duranie is someone who is a fan of Duran Duran for various reasons, including but not limited to, the music. In my case it's just because of the beautiful music they have made. And, obviously, because John Taylor is the most gorgeous bass player to have ever tread this Planet Earth. El-oh-El. Pun intended. Have a listen!)
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