NEW EYES FOR LAIKA

Nerissa Schwarz is a talented practitioner of that rather out of the ordinary instrument known as the harp, though not the obvious Celtic variety like Alan Stivell but the electric version, which can incorporate some interesting electronic interfaces. Her career really took off when she was added as musician and composer to Frequency Drift, a stellar band led by Andreas Hack that has a considerable output and reputation. That group recently morphed into Haven of Echoes, where Nerissa plays on a track . Andreas supplies added keyboards to this sophomore album.

Just like with her glowing debut (which I have reviewed as well), her music is far from a technical showcase, more in tune with sonic experimentation and research, textural interplay between mood and melancholy, highly expressive as its devoid of any long ambient stretches. At times, the sounds are diaphanous and ethereal, swerving into icier Gothic themes, then subtly finding balance in sweetness and serenity. Most importantly though, it is never boring or wasteful, as there is unending interest displayed, a quality that highlights her talent. The nine tracks barely go beyond 5 minutes, so the whole comes across like a vivid soundtrack for an imaginary movie. "Making Plans in the Dark" comes across as the perfect title, as a playful crystalline riff embraces a sombre keyboard undertone, curiosity dueling with a sense of hesitant foreboding, controlled dislocation at its finest. Maintaining the shadow, a solemn piano sets the tone, as a sacred cello yearns for light on the majestic "On Blackout Avenue", patiently awaiting luminescent deliverance from a mellotron and e-harp duet that is all sweetness until it arrives in earnest to a restrained fulfillment, at peace. Magnificent.

The pace picks up with the electro thumping "Olimpia's Rage", an eerie snippet that has a Kafka-esque tinge to it, the angst level raised but only for a minute. This segues into the absolute opposite the mournfully beautiful "Memories of Being Made", a composition where ice and fire seem to coalesce into one expressive symphony, where synths, cello, e-harp, and a myriad of sonic effects establish a climate of particular vagueness, a highly reflective aural voyage of the finest caliber. "Raised Like a Daughter" keeps things simple and elegant, an ornate piano and the harp trading notes, arriving hand in hand, like mother and child at a plateau of spiritual tranquillity, a masterful performance that pulls at the heartstrings, as the piece finally reaches the cradle. A deviation into a more experimental realm appears on the more electronic "My Little Polymath", a more minimalist piece that employs synths, piano, and some harp drizzles, before leaping into more subdued territory, with hints of colliding notes. The intrusion of sudden dissonant behaviour only accentuates the contrasts between rhythm and melody.

The title track proposes this same formula of simple complexity (or is it complex simplicity?), and once again the suggestive piano takes on the leader role, as a pensive, vague lilt engulfs the soul with radiant reflection. Out of the blue, a raging pipe organ motif obstinately bellows its mighty aura, before dipping back into contemplative calmness. The short "Europa Waiting" suggests a keyboard heavy wall of sound upon which the harp dipsy doodles harmoniously, the whole arrangement bathing in that trenchant melancholy that this artist understands so inherently. The finale is the most overt harp-led piece, a delicately woven melody that fights off stringent blasts of electronic sounds, the piano now in full alliance with all the instruments, in order to create this ultimately magnificent crescendo of power and glory, crystalline sprinklings amid the sinuous rumble.

Fire and Ice. Another scintillating piece of work that fans of original mood music will enjoy to the brim.

4.5 Space dog orbs

With the band Frequency Drift, experimental harpist Nerissa Schwartz released eight albums, and this is her second solo work, following on from 2016's 'Playgrounds Lost'. That album was completely solo but this one finds her reunited with Andrea Hack from that band who provides additional keyboards while Nerissa plays electric harp, keyboards, and synthesisers. The result is something which is progressive, ambient, modern classical and so much more as it uses multiple layers alongside space to create something which in some ways feels almost robotic and analytical, which makes total sense when one realises this was inspired by the ambivalent theme of self-aware artificial intelligence. It is interesting to listen to music that has been composed by someone who is primarily a harpist, as they have a quite different approach to a musical score than a guitarist or keyboard player, and consequently the musical boundaries are quite different. Nerissa structures her music in a quite different way, even when she is playing keyboards, so one never knows quite which direction is going to be taken next, just that the journey is enjoyable, and one just needs to settle back and enjoy it. The harp is right at home in this context, and never seems out of place, although it is not an instrument commonly used in this type of music, and Nerissa ensures the keyboards being utilized always fit together with it in a way that means it is never struggling but instead is always at the centre of attention.

This is music to be listened to when there is the time to do just that, preferably on headphones when there is no likelihood of being disturbed. It is then that this is progressive, ambient modernist yet retro album really comes to life.