SOL DE MEDIANOCHE

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After their album Quentadharkën from 2004, here is the new CD by Spanish progressive folk formation Amarok (which means wolf in Eskimo language). The musical brainchild is Robert Santamaria who played in Venezuolan symphonic prog band Tapobran but later moved to Spain. He is the main composer, writer and he plays an impressive range of instruments, from keyboards, accordion and Turkish saz to Iranian santur, dulcimer, xylophone and glockenspiel, this is the second coming of Mike Oldfield on Tubular Bells!

On the new album entitled Sol De Medianoche he is assisted by five other band members and a serie of guest musicians on instruments like electric - and Spanish guitar, violin, trumpet, Tibetan chant and cymbals. The sound of Amarok is firmly rooted in folk/ethnic music but it scouts the border with jazz, fusion and symphonic prog. The climates are often Eastern sounding, due to the great vocals by Marta Seguar (powerful and expressive), she carries you away to Arabia, Turkey and Iran! The huge array of (often ethnic) instruments gives the music an extra, very captivasting dimension like the assorted woodwind, brass and percussion instruments. Some examples: a sultry atmosphere with varied woodwind - and flute isntruments, a piece with sparkling piano and jazzy guitar (by the known jazz guitar player Andres Oleagui) and a final part with organ and saxophone in Hermits, lots of dynamics (from swinging Hammond organ and soaring violin-Mellotron to dreamy piano and powerful trumpet) in Wendigo, swinging violin, electric guitar and fluent synthesizer runs in Eight Touts and a cascade of shifting moods in the intricate Xiongmao II (longing vocals with sensitive guitar, an accellaration with organ and brass and Spanish guitar with lush Mellotron and Hammond). I was also delighted about the very special rendition of Keith Emerson his composition Abaddon's Bolero featuring assorted percussion, accordion, didgeridoo and a final part with organ and trumpet. I am curious what the master himself thinks about it!

If you like adventurous progressive folk that blends with jazz, fusion and symphonic prog, this CD is captivating and exciting musical adventure!

Although out of a possible thought of blossom and in-scent (one never, however, indulgent), a musical act that's keen ona musical harmony, beauty and hard-to-achieve wonderfulness is always a welcomed act, especially in these times which, whether recognized or subjective at mention, come up with a whole other kind of "diversity" and 'creativity" (pros and cons, needless to say). Also, despite being maybe an exaggerated or unnecessary idea, the thing of choosing freshness over industry, lovable sound over extensive gearing and a strong character over an imprecise excitement is a couple of time more revealing than the usual kind of essence and magnitude. At least such sensible euphorias pass through the mind of this reviewer, when listening to music with these very sensational details.

Understandable from the introduction is that this album, Sol De Medianoche, is a big surprise of excellent quality and round art, of all this year's biggest signs, or even of all the recent affections for music. The good spirit of the astound's simplicity, the strong and veracious (but never raw or spoiled) concept of music-flavoring, plus the aroma of beauty and mystery are sincere emotions and very nice qualities that enchanted me in this deep album. Beneficially, most of Amarok's musi acts have this special or substantial sense. Whether Sol De Medianoche is a better creation in Amarok's born music-time or not (and I actually don't find it being the seminal album, it only flows with the predestined expression), it's a solid album, with folk attractiveness, art fusion, compassive human desires and intoning mystic or flamboyant language. The "progressive modern rock" element also wipes off some of the smile, as in Amarok's latest being incredibly unique or open, still Sol De Medianoche remains a value with pleasure and, let's cheer it up, passion. Amarok's core of gentle exceptionalness stays in Robert Santamaria's sextet, but the gathering includes five more artists, so that the music catches rock and atmosphere tonality, but also stays cursive in its spirit.

Outside the value of nothing else besides great and the nicely beautiful signs of art, the rest is pretty much concrete and withstanding, without a haze or a fool's edge in what is played and without a random permissive rhythm and esoterism in what is felt (not that the first mentioned things aren't purified).Sol De Medianoche illustrates 10 pieces that have a particular fond (not to be understood as independent, since the musicians' brushes are equivocal and needful to each colored theme and composition). The conserved style is generally maybe consequent and open-ominous, yet a more troubadoural or dark-ethnic idea wouldn't have been alike the band's good ideal. Some pieces are epic adn deep, preferring an explosion of play and taste. The basics are, fashionably, blended as rock with a feeling, folk of elements and mists, delights and uneasy fragrances, good jazz (mostly because it would be a very entertained and carefully stretched play, rather than an improvised one), melodic or acoustic characters and instrumental full ardors, a good ceramic free nuance with a roughly sophisticated modern strength, finally a contentious art symbol upon where the joy of sound and the delicate tremble power meet under a form and an un-punishable lovely set. The vocals of Mireia Sisquella are very beautiful, never selfish in accents, never against more dark, mystic or marooned expressions, though comfortably you'll hear ballad melodies and giggling folk ornaments. Yet better is the complex and mutually progressive model of orchestration and spice, coming from a band with no sorrow or downbeating manners. Nor with, actually,a flaw in expression and inner poetry.

A new album that's within the best two or three by Amarok, and something very good and interacting for this year's grand festival of prog music. The experience is much deeper than any spotted moments of first-surfaced impression. 4 stars.