Member:
Trane
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by Trane)
Date:
10/22/2010
Format:
CD (Album)
Aranis's fourth album is a bit of a return to their first two album's foundation, creating a typical chamber prog that is in the purest Belgiam tradition, stuck somewhere between Julverne, Cro -Magnon and Louise Avenue's hapiness on one side, and Univers Zero, Present and Art Zoyd 's (French, I know) darkness on the other end of the spectrum. But if the first two albums had a joyous, almost frivolous side, after the very/fairly different Songs From Mirage, which explored a darker facet of them with a trio of chorus women, Roqueforte is definitely in the more sombre realm, no doubt in part due to Pierre Chevalier (piano) and Dave Kerman (drums & percs), both members of the Present fellowship and appearing as guests throughout the album. It should also be noted that some line-up changes occurred just after SFM, and pianist Axelle Kennes and violinist "meisje" (name escapes me at present time) are absent from here.
The 12 tracks, ranging from1 to almost 13 minutes, are presenting a palette of red moods (the artwork) that range from near-orange (the lighter tracks) to dark brownish (the heavier ones). Recorded in the early spring '10 in Antwerp and finalized in Liege later that summer on the Homerecords label, RF is surprisingly licensed/referenced as 2009, so go figure.
It's only a guess, but the album's name is a play on words on the French cheese, made fairly close to Carmeaux, the site of the RIO festival that Aranis played in mid-September 09. Opening on the Roque track and closing on the Forte track, the inner contents of the album is a typical instrumental chamber rock that sometimes nears the Tango realm, where Marjolein Cools' accordion plays an important, but not definitive, role; but it's an important trump card in Vanvinkenroye's compositions. If I spoke of the sombre moods of RF, it is still quite far from Present and UZ dark and almost sinister moods. Sometimes I wonder if Joris didn't use an electric bass guitar, rather than his usual contrabass (Tissim)
Clocking just under one hour - including the afterthought PS (post-scriptum most likely, not part socialiste) that acts as an announced hidden track last 1 minute after a 1 minute silence break, RF is well in the Aranis-line of creation after a slight deviation of the previous SFM. And it should please all chamber rock fans and Avant/RIO heads.
Member:
avestin
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by avestin)
Date:
11/7/2010
Format:
CD (Album)
Aranis, the Flemish ensemble led by double-bassist Joris Vanvinckenroye, keep on evolving on their fourth album, RoqueForte, released on the fantastic Italian label, Altr0ck. While the first two albums provided beautiful chamber music with strong rhythmic backbone and some folk-ish tendencies, the third album presented more ambiance as well as vocalization.
In this album, they are joined four guests, Ward De Vleesschouwer (piano), Stefan Wellens (viola), Pierre Chevalier from Present and Univers Zero (piano) and Dave Kerman from 5UU’s, Thinking Plague and various other projects (drums and percussions). You’d think that adding drumming to their music would change their sound dramatically, but that is not the case at all. Dave Kerman’s drumming is subtle and not dominative and mingles perfectly with the rest of the instruments. In fact, it sounds as if the percussions were always a part of the band’s sound.
The sound is more edgy, rough, raw and yet still as elegant as ever. They have veered into territories covered by Univers Zero and Present, i.e. a darker and more brooding style and atmosphere; but they have not lost their identity, their sound and charm. Indeed, the Aranis personality is renewed here in this extended lineup. RoqueForte shows the group in their usual punctual playing and elaborate compositions, yet with a new direction and somewhat different approach, showing their strive to evolve as a musical entity.
The music here, while as rhythmic as before, seems more intent creating delicate but ominous ambiance. Take the opening track, Roque for instance. While they don’t forsake melody for texture, they do sounds as if more intent on evoking certain mysterious and eerie qualities. I think this piece presents a well thought-out and executed balance between the melodic and the textural side of Aranis. In support of this notion, I’ll mention that the album contains 4 short pieces named Ade I to IV which all seem to serve the same purpose as I mentioned above.
All of this is not to say that they don’t craft any more tunes. In fact, the tunes found here are still as gorgeous as ever. Take the third track, Past for instance. In it you will find faint accordion playing with the flute strolling higher above it, the two accompanied by the piano and percussions, all together painting a magical and moving piece. The dynamics of this piece are very well done; each instrument wisely set in a proper volume and all of them move together as a whole up and down, louder and weaker until a climatic end. Indeed, the Past never sounded better.
Aranis also provide us with two lengthy compositions here. While they did this before, (Zilezi from the first album), this is not a commonality for Joris to compose pieces of this length for the group. The two pieces, named Noise and Naise, are stunning pieces in their beauty and arrangements. The flute has a lead role in Noise and its delicate sound clashes with the violin creating tension, all the while supported by the menacing double bass and the accordion.
In this piece we also hear perhaps the most prominent drumming section on the album (the other tracks being Naise and Tissim), but not in the way you might think; a beating on the drums, in pattern and conjuction with the double bass and piano, create the intimidating canvas for the flute, violin and accordion to paint their lines and circles. This piece is a superb example of Aranis’ current sound and of how they’ve developed since their first album. Again, this is a good example of the balance between melody and ambiance in Aranis’ music. There is not a dull moment in this piece, not a wasted note. It all comes together in an enchanting fashion to a hair-raising conclusion.
An interesting piece comes in the form of Tissim. An aggressive composition, fast and even furious sounding at times. There is a remarkable interplay between the piano providing the basic pattern and rhythm along with the drumming (which are a little below it), the accordion with its own theme and the flute playing overhead. At times it sounds harmonious only to change moments later to a chaotic-like musical battlefield, it concludes in a recurring theme being played until end while the lead instruments have their “fight”.
RoqueForte is a superb offering from Aranis, another wonderful achievement from a band that seems intent on progressing their sound. If you liked Aranis’ previous releases, you definitely should get this as well. If you’re new to Aranis and would like to try them out, I find this is a good entry point and you could then work your way backwards. As there are a lot of nuances, quieter parts and overall many intricacies, I recommend listening attentively and on headphones.
Member:
maribor
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by maribor)
Date:
6/9/2011
Format:
CD (Album)
It’s been fascinating to monitor the evolution of the Belgian band Aranis, which has been walking the tight rope between chamber classical and rock ever since their first release. They have released a series of exciting albums that are mostly enjoyed by fans of avant-garde music, but their accessibility and classical nature means they have crossover appeal to other music fans as well (rock, classical). On their previous album, they incorporated a vocal element into their music for the first time, which added some much needed diversity, but on Roqueforte they return to their more standard format, albeit with the addition of occasional drums, courtesy by none other than Mr. Dave Kerman.
Lately, Aranis have been going down well with the progressive rock crowd, however, in all honesty, the rock element isn’t detectable in the instrumentation, but rather in the way the music is composed and the impact it makes. Aranis are an interesting band, but one who has hardly made anything new since their debut. I don't know about the compositional element, it's not my field really, but I mean about Aranis being a one-trick pony. Compositionally, the songs seem to work fine, except many of them seem to follow the same principle. I'd also like to see their music breathe a bit more. The compositions are a bit too condensed, there are hardly any spaces for the music to take on more atmosphere, a foreboding element if you will. I miss some more anticipation and expectation, the music just seems to be moving a bit too swiftly most of the time. On Roqueforte, they are actually trying to add more suspense to their music with an almost Univers Zero feel at times, but that feels forced and not really their style, as if they were trying to appeal to fans of avant-garde music. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that they’re trying to change, but I suppose it might take a little longer for it to become convincing.
I first became aware of Aranis at the Gouveia Festival. I really liked what I heard when I saw them there and really enjoyed the CDs, but I soon grew tired of them and I realized it was for the reasons I cited. I think the addition of the vocalists on the 3rd record amended these elements to some degree for me, but the underlying "problems" were still there. I've listened to the new CD several times and while I think the drums do contribute something and there are segments that seem a bit more relaxed, I still feel I have the same misgivings about their music as before – more of the same old and when they’re trying something new, it just doesn’t sound convincing.
I’ve said my peace and even though I don’t see Aranis becoming my favourite band out there, there is still plenty to enjoy in their music. Those who really love this band and enjoy their previous releases will most likely enjoy this one. My words may sound a tad negative, but in all honesty the band’s music seems to appeal to me more and more with each effort, so I hope this trend continues. I hope the band continues to evolve, as I do think that Joris Vanvinckenroye has a lot to offer as a composer.
Originally published by http://www.therocktologist.com
7 out of 10.
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