AKIRA RABELAIS
Spellewauerynsherde
(Samadhi Sound)

Though you can't judge a book by its cover, the 
iconic painting of the Madonna with child set 
against the desolate confines of a drab hotel 
room comprising the artwork of this CD is an apt 
glimpse of what to expect from L.A. based 
composer and software author Akira Rabelais' new 
release Spellewauerynsherde. (To clarify, this 
is not a bad thing.) His fourth release and 
first for David Sylvian's Samadhi Sound imprint 
finds Rabelais using recently discovered 
decades-old recordings of Icelandic a cappella 
hymns as his source material. Employing his 
Argeiphontes Lyre software to manipulate (i.e. 
stretch, randomize, filter, multiply, divide, 
etc.) this rather other-timely singing, he 
achieves an effect at times not dissimilar to 
the haunting textural/cluster choral works of 
Ligeti or Penderecki, or perhaps the dark 
ambient soundscapes of Lustmord. At other times, 
the subtle use of processing allows the devotion 
and seeming folk-like sorrow of the vocalists to 
come through, reminiscent of plainchant from 
medieval times mixed with Child ballads from 
England and Scotland.

For those inclined to contemplate complex faith 
and morality issues in this time of war and 
political misguided-ness, particularly with the 
realization of an America split in two in an 
election year, this may be the soundtrack for 
you. [KC]


	(Other Music)