EEMYNOR

SIIILK offers music from distant lands, with a soft hovering sound to meditate more than to move, latent and orchestral atmosphere inviting to reverie, the last one wants to prolong this singular musical effect let's slip into it.

"Eemynor, Pt. 1& Pt. 2" for the following soft, soaring atmosphere with the suave voice of Catherine responding to that of Richard; oriental sound with the magnificent guitar in the tradition of a certain David of course. "Signs in the sand, Pt. 1 & 2" follow with a Floydian arpeggio and Richard's melancholic voice in phrasing; a monolithic tune drawn by Gilbert's hot guitar; it is latent, without waves, in a melodic-progressive vein; the oriental ambient break takes us further on a mysterious sound space on the line of a SEVEN REIZH; the acoustic finale lacking in pep to go even further. "Burning Hopes" with a beautiful atmospheric intro, inviting you to daydream; basic melody with Catherine on vocals, tune à la Chris REA where the notes are shelled without background and with repetition, like a mantra.

"Monsoon Lights" drives the musical nail on the Persian direction, Alain using these instruments to good effect; title that pulls the album up showing an innovative clean sound; it's warm, it pleasantly reminds me of Loreena McKENNITT. "Spandam" slide to get the ears afloat; reverberation, a guitar solo that suddenly rips off accompanied by a more present bass and the sound takes on another stratospheric dimension, even if we could have expected even more intensity, my favorite in any case. "Morning Rain" and the return of the guitar arpeggio for an air placed to meditate on an Autumn evening when the night and the humidity arrive; Roland brings sensitivity with his clarinet and brightens up this title, the voices are monolithic so as not to frighten the moment of falling asleep, the stereo finale giving hope for something else. "Song for Syd" with a targeted track oriented PINK FLOYD as on 'Endless Memory'; more progressive, ambient and evolving title where the voice blends better into the notes; Jacques breathes a heavy atmosphere with his keyboards and the slide ends up melting on this hovering and bewitching title. "Number 9" repetitive instrumental, mantranic as end of course with NASA voice- over to extend this meditative page.

SIIILK continues to explore and offer borderline hypnotic melodic atmospheres between his floydian and oriental culture; opus to take in the evening as an infusion to go find Morpheus afterwards, album without wave where the orchestral moments contrast pleasantly, lacking in pep to escape even further; but the goal of this album not being to leave quickly close to oneself without realizing it? I ask myself the question of having had French voices to perhaps leave more easily.

A French band that only came into my awareness by way of their excellent 2017 release, Endless Mystery, though they've been around since at least 2011.

1. "Eemynor" (8:27) interesting Giancarlo Erra soundscape with Middle Eastern instruments and sounds peppering the sonic landscape. At the two-minute mark Gilbert Gandil's Fripp-ish "infinity guitar" (e-bow?) enters. Pretty. At 3:05 we switch to a plucked electrified acoustic guitar chord progression as the stark foundation. More blues rock-sounding guitar solos intermittently between and around Richard's whisper-sung vocal. (17.5/20)

2. "Signs in the Sand" (9:40) Part One sounds like Steven Wilson's 1990s Porcupine Tree. (17.667/20)

3. "Burning Hopes" (4:52) graced by the gorgeous voice of Catherine Pick, this sounds a bit like a Scandanavian dream pop band--like something by Anna Järvinen or Stina Nordenstam. (8.75/10) 4. "Monsoon Lights" (4:49) dobro-like stringed instrument strummed with Indian woodwind (daf) while Richard and Pick perform a vocal duet. Their timing, unfortunately, is not very well synchronized. Nice music beneath, though. (8.5/10)

5. "Spandam" (4:42) opens with guitar picked like something rom PINK FLOYD's The Wall ("Goodbye Blue Sky"). In the second minute it ramps up with full band for a nice HACKETT-like guitar solo. Interesting how close this sounds to several other famous songs (including Crhis Isaak's "Wicked Game"). (8.667/10)

6. "Morning Rain (5:12) picked and plucked electrified acoustic guitar descending chord sequence support vocals from both Richard and Catherine, alternating and together. Catherine's choruses have the support of the full band with drums; verses are sparse with only the complement of guitars and bass. Instrumental "C" section is sparse with "lonely" clarinet soloing over guitars and delicate cymbal play. (8.75/10)

7. "Song for Syd (6:34) with the arrival of this very Tim Bowness (No-Man)- or Giancarlo Erra (NoSound)-like song I am reminded of the effect that those two respective artist's albums have on me: I enjoy the beautiful songs and soundscapes they present to the listener--tremendously--on an indivicual song-by-song basis but find myself getting quite fatigued and disinterested over the course of an entire album. Nice song but I'm starting to get fatigued. (8.667/10)

8. "Number 9 (3:18) a looped monastic-like chant opens the first minute of this song as walkie-talkie-like vocal samples plays within. A Harold Budd-like treated piano scape then takes over before more military-like radio talk and Tibetan-like chant loop return. I also really enjoy the computer clicking used for the percussion track. A cool, refreshingly innovative song. My favorite on the album. (9/10)

Total Time 47:34

Endless Mystery received my personal dedication as prog's "ear candy" album of 2017 and Eemynor falls right into the same vein but it's just not quite as compelling.

B/four stars; an very nice addition to any prog lover's music collection.

What a great news Siiilk sends us with Eemynor their latest recording. Everything is of an incredible quality, with the finesse of the atmospheres, the magic of the sounds, a permanent invitation to a world that does not exist, with the unique and dreamlike music they have invented. What a joy to hear the soothing of the soul, and all the high spirits that Gilbert Gandil and Jacques Roman (the two founders of the group Pulsar, which already projected us into the cosmos from 1974 to 2006), inhabited by all the tenderness and confidence of the very beautiful texts of Richard Pick on vocals, and the voice of Catherine Pick, a celestial and pure soprano, all in sweetness. Each track brings a dreamy cloud to this ensemble: Eemynor, which takes us from a desert to a weightless song a bit like Peter Gabriel from a few years ago, and ends like a blues where Gandil's fabulous guitar pierces us with its feeling. Signs in the sand, sounds like an epic magically transported to a mysterious world without any landmarks, and ends with a departure, as if in a memory that we haven't lived yet. Almost all the tracks have their own personality and complement each other. Burning hopes Catherine's sweet lyrical flight, Monsoon lights pearl of Middle Eastern etno-world music, Spandam and its violent breaks where Gandil tears our stomachs out, Morning rain a little more classical, then the extraordinary Song for Syd in 5 sublime parts, a tribute to Syd Barret that nobody has forgotten, and to close this album, "number 9" surprising by its originality, its innovation and the depth of its bewitching and sublime underwater world Thanks to Siiilk

Here they are back again after two main events, two concerts opening for Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets and Gong, no less! And two successful albums including in Quebec. This third album is more progressive. The music is closer to Pulsar, Pink Floyd especially by Gilbert Gandil's guitars and Jacques Roman's keyboards (both ex-Pulsar members). Roland Richard from the prestigious Lyon combo even plays clarinet on one song. The music is really great as I said... and this is a concept album. Let's read what Richard Pick said about that in Acid Dragon #82: "Eemynor" is more «prog» than our previous albums with two long beginning tracks built like a symphony with movements and changes of atmospheres, alternating instrumental parts and more acoustic moments where our voices and lyrics tell the fantastic journey of people in wars who yearn for peace and serenity, a universal theme that finally sticks well to the actuality. Other tracks are in the Siiilk tradition, including 'Song for Syd' a tribute to Syd Barrett, a song I particularly like. A few precisions about the story now: In the kingdom of Eemynor, time no longer exists and the winters and wars have lasted for many decades. The harps chords have transposed from major to minor, the rainbows have lost their colours and the people their smiles. Weakened by endless conflicts, these warriors carry on untiringly tracing concentric motifs on the dry beds of the wastelands and deserts of Eemynor. They are skilfully elaborated with gold, lapis lazuli and saffron like an offering, a pleading ritual to the gods for the return of Love and the light of a regenerating spring. Excellent music and rich concept then, a great mix... In a nutshell, this record is a must have. One of the best French prog records ever released in the great tradition of the 70'. Highly recommended.