THE SHEPHERD'S DREAM

I got this album from the band as a gift some weeks ago and I have been trying to decode it since then. The CD comes in a wooden type of cd case and that kinds of gives the game (music) away. This is indeed pretty original stuff.

This is a type of music that is a bit alien to me. Actually, make that very alien to me. The music here is more classical music than rhythmic rock/jazz/whatever. Hence my problems relating to it.

This album, which in my ears is one fifty minutes long piece of music, starts very silently with some cello and woodwinds. Some flutes, violins and even some accordion joins and leaves the music throughout. But mostly, this album is dominated by woodwinds and cello. Most of the music is pretty understated and demands a heck of a lot of the listener. The end of the album, a piece of music they have christened Visions of Arcadia rises to a kind of a crescendo. Then the music dies and you reach for the replay button again......... and again..... and again.

This album demands a heck of the listener. I thought Flairck and Aranis was on the edge of my ability to understand music. This band and this album has challenged me like no album has challenged me before. It has taken me some time to decode it and find an album of good quality. I would not call it a great album though. The music is too subtle and too understated for my liking. But it is still a good album which will bring joy to the fans of this band in ProgArchives. I do recommend it although I have my reservations. A big plus for the packaging.

3 stars

Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung's (henceforth referred to as DAAU, the acronym the band often goes by) 2010 release is a nice slice of pastoral music. The closest connection I can make to music I have heard beforehand would be Univers Zero. This puts the band in the realm of Chamber Rock, and while this may be the best way to describe that I can think, do not purchase this album expecting music that is in any way thematically similar to Univers Zero.

The music contained herein can be described as pastoral and dreamy - much as the title of the album suggests. It relies much more on texture and mood than on melody, and as such is a rather slow paced album. I would not describe this as a bad thing and find myself immensely enjoying the music contained on this disk. The band does also have a few moments of tension, particular the end of Out of the Woods and Into the Wild. In a away, they make me think of the dream turning, ever so briefly, into a nightmare. These parts are on their own quite nice, and I feel they also help to break up an otherwise slow paced album; without them, the album might fade into the background, so their inclusion is very welcome.

While listening to this music, I can't help but envision rolling green fields and blue skies. It is a peaceful, chilled out album. And I love it for that.

The band makes use of an unusual lineup of instruments; Cello, Clarinet, Accordion, and Double Bass. This gives the band a very unique texture that I have not heard in any other place, and it suits the music contained herein quite aptly. The accordion in particularly, being such an unusual music in prog, contributes a lot to this texture.

I cannot mention this album without taking some time to describe the beauty that the band put into the packaging. The packaging of the album seems to have been crafted with the same patient care as the music, and I must admit that the purchase of the album is almost worth it for the packaging alone. (Luckily, the music is great too).

The album comes in a wooden box, with the bands name, track listing, and cover art carved into it. Inside the wooden box are 9 cards, two of which are also CD envelopes (one contains the actual disc, the other is to hold a live recording of the album that can be purchased at their shows or from their website). On each of these cards, on the front is information about the band, or a black and white picture to go along with a song. On the back of each of the nine pieces are part of a larger picture, and if you put all nine together in a 3 by 3 grid, you get a very fascinating piece of art.

Overall, the unique packaging and excellent music make this worthy of any prog collection - as long as one has patience.