Released
1999

Label
Influx Communications

Reviewed by
Kim Alexander


Contact
Influx Communications

Last Edit/Update
10 October, 1999

Asianova

Burning The Blue Skies Black

Track Listing

1. Sun Bear Meets Moon Dog
2. Chaotic Vision
3. Burning The Blue Skies Black
4. The Pounding
5. Falling
Total Time: 72 mins.

For this release, Asianova is
Wielhelm -- springs, strings, and scraching things
Katkishka -- singing, ringing and heavy poundings
Pamela Passmore -- voice, noise, and pretty toys
Ure Thrall -- purges, urges and gothic dirges
M. Porter -- percussion on "Chaotic Vision"
Paul Valsecchi -- space guitar on "The Pounding"
Artwork by Fruitless Hand

    Dark and brooding, ambient textures, flowing extended drones, angelic background vocals, and gently pulsing (chugging) percussion are the main elements that make up the sounds on "Burning the Blue Skies Black." I find this release to be of excellent quality and overall composition. The music is a total of 72 minutes in length. The first two tracks are ethereal "heavenly" ambient on "Sun Bear Meets Moon Dog" to a more spacious ethno-ambient, (more percussion and female whispering spoken word) in "Chaotic Vision."
    "Burning the Blue Skies Black" takes on a slightly different direction, as the title suggests, in that is has even a darker tone than the previous two tracks and creates images in my mind of doom, gloom and self inflicted annhilation of life on earth --  deep expansive drones, spooky whispers, dark swirling harmonies and rumbling vibrations.
  "The Pounding" starts off with subtle percussions, drone effects and more ambient textures of rising and falling timbre. Background vocals are female angelic harmonies, but very quiet, never over done, just the right touch to give an eerie feel to the piece -- kind of an empty or hollow sort of sound. Last, "The Falling", a 22+ minute piece of work has more of a noise-ambient feel to it. Soft pulsing noise, synthetic snarls, spooky yearning female vocals treated to stand out gently yet noticeably.
    I'd generalize this release as dark experimental-ambient area, with a shift towards the low end of ethereal noise. It is an excellent release, not in the least bit boring, and very well produced. I highly recommend it. Tasty, very tasty work.