Cyclic Defrost Magazine

My Kappa Roots – The House of St. Colme Burnt Down (Drifting Falling)

Posted: 01 Feb 2009 06:53 PM CST

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My Kappa Roots (aka Pablo Clark) slips out a quiet debut from the Scottish area still known as the Kingdom of Fife. As an opening interrogative stance the question of whether Kappa refers to a Japanese river imp or the 10th letter of the Greek alphabet and all it's variants halted appreciation, so I leave it untrammelled. While all tracks are Clarks, the recording and mixing are contributions of James King who also contributes melodica/keyboard/sounds/backing vocals and ceremonial bell. The distinction made that while Clarks guitar and vocals are fore grounded in the mix and the focal aspects of the album, it is the production aspects that glimmer as well. However as might hold within the folk singer songwriter tradition, it is the poetry of the lyrics that maketh the art and not necessarily technical prowess. I will leave you with that old chestnut to roast and eat in your own time.

Songwriting as poetry is the realm here, aptly assisted by Clarks soft and melancholic lilt. The paradox of the comfort of melancholy is as apparent here as in any recording of such as Nick Drake. Quite odd yet beguiling guitar technique Of Narcissus waits by the water, that builds, sparkles, backtracks, resonates and yet manages not to quite get its feet wet. Home-coming, the bleak resonance of worn warriors returns, black sails all, cause lost, dead pan voice intoning the seeming bluster of the warrior stance, ballad like intoning lessons for the world weary. A query for the cause/activist world whose point it the battle, the cause, the rights to be won when the battle is never over and the distant land a place you arrive dead of memory. All reading can lead to over interpretation and apt as any are prone to such, it is the mark of a talented artist to enliven the mind to enquire not merely of their own expression but of concepts built within the vehicle.

Clarks guitar technique is blithe and inventive within a classic folk palate yet has not the assurance or range of a master guitarist. Yet who could ask for a master guitarist from a debut album, perhaps only perfectionists lacking the courage to make first steps. The presence of sounds/samples and the recording technique tip a hat towards the modern scene but My Kappa Roots remains squarely within the folk camp. It's release on Drifting Falling, which 'specialising in atmospheric, electronic and organic sounds. This might range from shoegaze, post-rock, folk, electronica, ambient, drone, glitch or any combination thereof', denotes an open mind and keen contemporary orientation The hidden track at the end of the dour festival, a ludicrously penned track in its own right, brimming laughter of nitrous origins, voice changed in childish humor undercuts the melancholic tone and while it pertains to a fairly common gimmick of recording it seems to undercut the albums whole in one stroke. It makes you wonder where you stand as a listener, lulled into beauty to be exited with a sense of the form ending as a practical joke. Perhaps Kappa is a Japanese river imp after all.

Leger des Heils - Memoria (Eis und Licht)

Posted: 31 Jan 2009 10:26 PM CST

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Leger des Heils is a reclusive neoclassical/neofolk act from Germany which seems to be the project of one Mario Ansinn. The band was formed in 1999, and Memoria is their fifth full-length disc.

The album fades in with the instrumental ‘Einklang’. A rumble of kettledrums and a low droning organ gradually become audible, to be joined by a synthesised choir and an insistent brass ostinato. The martial percussion continues on ‘Wie am Ersten Tag’ which features lyrics derived from Goethe. The vocals are sung in German, and are multitracked to give the impression of a small group of male singers. The vocal style is an odd mix of declamatory and yet gentle and hymnal at the same time - it’s closer to folk or classical than anything rock’n'roll.

‘Gotterheimat’ features a memorable chorus, and driven along by military snare drum and a subliminal bassline, this could almost be a hit single of sorts. ‘Sangerfahrt’ is based around a simple acoustic guitar chord sequence, strings and choir; and features lyrics taken from Ibsen. A yearning chorus melody and an underlying four-on-the-floor bass drum gives this track remix potential for an imaginative DJ.

The light melodies, orchestral instrumentation and churchy vocal feel make this a consistently listenable and pleasant album.

[For MP3 previews click here.]

Ewan Burke