NADJA — Radiance of Shadows
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"Wenn man Aidan Bakers Hinweisen folgt, in welchem Kontext er seine Stichworte ‚fire‘ und ‚radiance‘ verstanden wissen möchte - Shelley Jacksons Half Life, Lydia Millers Oh Pure & Radiant Heart und American Prometheus von Kai Bird & Martin Sherwin - dann stößt man auf J. Robert Oppenheimer, drei weitere wiedergängerische ‚Väter der Atombombe‘ und eine postatomare Zukunft, die von Siamesischen Zwillingen als Strahlungsmutanten bevölkert wird. Musikalisch tritt Bakers Duo mit Leah Buckareff drei Soundlawinen los, mit Gitarrendonner und Basswolkenbruch, die wie von einem Vulkanschlund ausgekotzt auf einen nieder krachen. Für den obligatorischen Vergleich mit Swans fehlt das rhythmische Element, Nadjas Welt ist eine Dunkelwolke aus dark ambienten Drones, brachialen Riffs und Drummachinegehämmer, die eher in der
Tradition von Earth und Godflesh bis SunnO))) stehen, wobei die elementaren und archaischen Assoziationen einen Dreh ins Dystopische erfahren. Zermalmende Kräfte werfen sich über Land, ihnen mythische Namen zu geben wie Vishnu oder Godzilla, sie Blitz zu nennen oder Schatten, ist müßig. Baker nimmt die ultimative Transformation als Folie für die Vision einer endlosen Kette präultimativer Verwandlungen - each time a cell splits off we become a new flesh - a new self into infinity. Also sprach der Kalenderblatt-Guru. Der Sound spricht eine andere Sprache. Zu seiner Suggestivität gehört auch, dass er vom Übergang von ‚i have tasted the fire inside your mouth‘ zum Titelstück ausdünnt auf eine Keyboardlinie, Drummachine- Leerlauf und stagnierende Rhythmusgitarre
- bis mit VOLLER WUCHT wieder Vishnu zu tanzen beginnt, innehält --- (Baker murmelt seine ‚Radiance Of Shadows‘-Poesie) --- ERNEUT
AUFSTAMPFT --- UND NUN UNBÄNDIG PLATT TRAMPELT, WAS IMMER DA SEIN MAG, lustvoll grollend wie Cthulhu selbst." [Bad Alchemy]
"The Canadian ambient doom band Nadja returns with the follow-up to their critically acclaimed Touched release. Radiance of Shadows is a mammoth monster of a record, spanning well over an hour with three tracks that are more epic and heavier than ever. Nadja's constantly increasing fan base will not be disappointed with this outing; it's classic Nadja. Radiance of Shadows has the feel of the super-saturated and dense recordings favoured by the likes of Fennesz and Tim Hecker but with the bite of metal. Radiance of Shadows opens rather gently taking its time to give birth to an amazing Isis-like riff which becomes completely washed out with Nadja's trademark wall of ambient noise. Just when you think it cannot get any louder or more saturated it begins to subside into another more subdued section of ambience and occasional riffing. This eventually gives way to a brutal tandem of guitar and drums that recalls early Swans. Nadja has an unique ability to make their long recordings seem like they are a few tracks blending into one as oppose to the grandiose epics that they are." [label info]
"...Three 20+ minute tracks, each perfectly balanced between suffocating crush and hazy dreamy bliss. Most folks obviously focus
on the heavy crushing riffage, but the magic of Nadja happens just as much if not moreso during the quiet parts, the rhythmic parts leading
up to the bombastic climaxes. The build up is just as satisfying sonically as the pay off, the musical version of the whole journey /
destination thing. But that said, the pay off is a massive and gloriously impossibly heavy crush, like being beaten to death with
rays of sunshine or being suffocated under layer after layer of soft fuzzy concrete slabs...
The sound is so much more epic and massive, but warm and 'live' sounding. For the first time, it actually sounds like A BAND,
more than a record constructed in a room by a guy (and a girl). Not sure if it's the songs, or the arrangements, the recording or all
three, but whatever it is, made a sound we already thought perfect, even more perfect." [Aquarius Records]
www.alien8recordings.com
Tradition von Earth und Godflesh bis SunnO))) stehen, wobei die elementaren und archaischen Assoziationen einen Dreh ins Dystopische erfahren. Zermalmende Kräfte werfen sich über Land, ihnen mythische Namen zu geben wie Vishnu oder Godzilla, sie Blitz zu nennen oder Schatten, ist müßig. Baker nimmt die ultimative Transformation als Folie für die Vision einer endlosen Kette präultimativer Verwandlungen - each time a cell splits off we become a new flesh - a new self into infinity. Also sprach der Kalenderblatt-Guru. Der Sound spricht eine andere Sprache. Zu seiner Suggestivität gehört auch, dass er vom Übergang von ‚i have tasted the fire inside your mouth‘ zum Titelstück ausdünnt auf eine Keyboardlinie, Drummachine- Leerlauf und stagnierende Rhythmusgitarre
- bis mit VOLLER WUCHT wieder Vishnu zu tanzen beginnt, innehält --- (Baker murmelt seine ‚Radiance Of Shadows‘-Poesie) --- ERNEUT
AUFSTAMPFT --- UND NUN UNBÄNDIG PLATT TRAMPELT, WAS IMMER DA SEIN MAG, lustvoll grollend wie Cthulhu selbst." [Bad Alchemy]
"The Canadian ambient doom band Nadja returns with the follow-up to their critically acclaimed Touched release. Radiance of Shadows is a mammoth monster of a record, spanning well over an hour with three tracks that are more epic and heavier than ever. Nadja's constantly increasing fan base will not be disappointed with this outing; it's classic Nadja. Radiance of Shadows has the feel of the super-saturated and dense recordings favoured by the likes of Fennesz and Tim Hecker but with the bite of metal. Radiance of Shadows opens rather gently taking its time to give birth to an amazing Isis-like riff which becomes completely washed out with Nadja's trademark wall of ambient noise. Just when you think it cannot get any louder or more saturated it begins to subside into another more subdued section of ambience and occasional riffing. This eventually gives way to a brutal tandem of guitar and drums that recalls early Swans. Nadja has an unique ability to make their long recordings seem like they are a few tracks blending into one as oppose to the grandiose epics that they are." [label info]
"...Three 20+ minute tracks, each perfectly balanced between suffocating crush and hazy dreamy bliss. Most folks obviously focus
on the heavy crushing riffage, but the magic of Nadja happens just as much if not moreso during the quiet parts, the rhythmic parts leading
up to the bombastic climaxes. The build up is just as satisfying sonically as the pay off, the musical version of the whole journey /
destination thing. But that said, the pay off is a massive and gloriously impossibly heavy crush, like being beaten to death with
rays of sunshine or being suffocated under layer after layer of soft fuzzy concrete slabs...
The sound is so much more epic and massive, but warm and 'live' sounding. For the first time, it actually sounds like A BAND,
more than a record constructed in a room by a guy (and a girl). Not sure if it's the songs, or the arrangements, the recording or all
three, but whatever it is, made a sound we already thought perfect, even more perfect." [Aquarius Records]
www.alien8recordings.com