It's dark, it's tense, something big is on the verge of being uncovered. The room seems to be spinning, the shadows are moving, holding the relic close by the figure hugs the wall praying that he hasn't been seen. But he has. Then you open your eyes and realize you're alone, hanging out at your house listening to a CD you haven't heard before. What is it about this music...when you close your eyes you become the director to a movie, a dramatic scene creator, and it's fun. Esoterica's In Obscura on Ireland's Elusive Recordings seems to be the perfect soundtrack for a movie not yet made, but listening while reading Dan Brown's best-selling, The Da Vinci Code, it seems the fitting music for the movie version of the sublime thriller. The books talks of symbology the music seems full of it, inspired by hundreds of years worth of musical instruments and melodies the music stands alone, never copying, only taking whatever hundred inspirations and developing a unique and mystical adventure in rhythm, thus creating the listener as his own director.
The music requires patience, it delivers in time, pacing itself in the beginning and slowly developing richly textured layers of obscure sounds and voices that bring you with it into whatever magical world the artist resides. The first song, "Boy you know what you are" is brought into rhythm with tribal like drums, surrounded by waves of carefully orchestrated electro layers, deep oboe-like melodies thicken the tune until a full-out beat drops tying the layers together like a beautifully finished mille-feuille cake. Or "Celluloid is forever" where exotic strings are being pulled on some unknown instrument while a deep voice chants as the surrounding Arabian-esque rhythms spin around you, relaxing you, taking you on a magic carpet ride. The music could be the background of an intense chase, a sexy love scene, entertainment at a Huka bar, the enchanting music playing at some geek's magic the gathering championship, or the dramatic opening to a Hollywood blockbuster. The diversity makes the CD a winner and its artist holds potential that real movie soundtrack coordinators should keep in mind. If not, let it be the music of your mind and your movie.
Esoterica In Obscura
