| Asura - Lost Eden |
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| Music Disc Reviews Audio CD | ||||||||||||||||||
| Written by Dan MacIntosh | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tuesday, 01 June 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||
Asura is a French electronic band, and its Lost Eden CD is a relatively nonabrasive cocktail of synthetic sounds. Apparently, the term “Asura” describes the mysterious nature of Vedic gods. The meaning of “Asura” has evolved over the years, however, and eventually became a label for evil beings that were opposed to the gods. But based solely upon the sound of this music alone, it appears as if the group Asura is going for the “mysterious lord” connotation of the word, as this album is filled with an exotic mixture of world music, placed over techno rhythm devices. Presumably, the gods are pleased by it. The opening song, which is also the project’s title track, gets this release off on the right foot. It features sampled Turkish vocals, which also happen to sound a whole lot (and this is a compliment, by the way) like Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins fame. Similar Turkish samples are utilized quite effectively throughout this disc and can additionally be found on “Raindust” -- although in this particular case, the singing is significantly more out front and diva-like. Later, on “The Battle of Devas,” the music is at its most rhythmic, as these recurring Turkish vocals are this time laid over a sitar-like, Eastern-influenced synth line. In contrast to the Turkish female vocal elements, male African singing is sometimes applied to such tracks as “Lost Eden.” In other cases, this release’s male vocals retain an almost operatic feel to them. Similarly, there is much variety running through this recording’s instrumental tracks. For instance, “From the Abyss” comes off a whole lot like a slowed-down Kraftwerk workout, whereas “Requiem from Nowhere” features acoustic guitar strums over a light and high-pitched synth melody. The only variety void here is in the rhythm department, since so many of these creations – exemplified by “Land & Freedom” – are similarly slow and meditative. One exception is “Le Vol d’Icare,” which has a heartbeat-like rhythm to it. But such rhythm-driven instances are few and far between. The wide-ranging spectrum of today’s electronic music field is oftentimes astounding. Asura, for instance, is one difficult act to categorize. Clearly, its approach is more electronic than organic. But its abundant usage of indigenous musical forms makes it something slightly more advanced than much of today’s more predictable electronic bleeps and buzzes. Lost Eden is simply indescribably good stuff. Like this article? Bookmark and share with any of the sites below.        |
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