HONEYSUCKLE

By now; almost every elecronic-prog follower knows that mostly all electronic " intentions" are going outside their own circle; more towards "Ambiental" expressions ( pulses or rhythms are now; not that fundamental and even unnecessary). The instrument by excellence the "synthetizers" can do more tricks now than those "old" ones. And of course the path has been opened up wide by "early" Prog Founder and Progressive- electronics wiz-kid; Brian Eno.

That is the tendency, but not all AMBIENT music is achieved with electronic instruments, the same goes for the songwriting. This is an "issue" corresponding to a pure "electronic" prog sub-genre. More in the case of this musician, who takes the best of both worlds acoustic and electric, breaking ground in the use of both musical languages. And really quiet progressive; "music wise".

This Alio Die 2010, 3-pieces effort, with an special early baroque flavor, hides its own baroque expression, by lowering down the emphasis on the tempo and paying more attention to the natural harmonics progression of harmonics. Therefore, the melodic lines are constantly appearing and dissolving.

As soon as it plays on, You will be caught in an entanglement of low-profile, baroque like flutes threading simultaneous progressions of minimal melodies (a natural wild "attribute" of harmonics) that fly in any direction. And yet build a whole environment as if "constructing while they pass by".

****5 , "a subtle electronic/acoustic "AMBIENT", masterpiece" PA stars.

Though not a huge fan of the overdrawn opening song of this album, I can say that the other 50 minutes are absolutely stellar. This may be my favorite Alio Die album and one of my Top Five Progressive Electronic albums of all-time.

1. "Honeysuckle" (24:00) Wooden flutes, old organ sounds, old metallic and organic acoustic hand percussion instruments, and a constant though protracted fading in and out of 'focus' gives the opening 24-minute epic and title song of this album the feel as if one were walking around--both inside and outside--an old monastery, only, perhaps three to five hundred years ago. A truly magical and evocative experience. My only criticism is that the overall length may be a bit too much; even a walk around St. Peter's or Hagia Sophia needn't take 24 minutes--nor would the minstrels inside be performing the same droning song for that length of time. I think. (8/10)

2. "Innamorato" (9:19) opens with a very familiar BRIAN ENO Ambient 2 or 4 feel to it--only this one may be better than the original. It's gorgeous! Zither, harp or other finger-played stringed instrument performs the foundational sound with some kind of 'almost-trumpet'-like sound looping within the weave while the harmonics drone, echo, and reverberate without. (10/10)

3. "Honey Mushroom" (40:00) is a suite of three parts which opens with at least five instruments contributing thread lines to the construction of the overall musical weave: chimes, zither, organ, synthesizer, and bagpipe-like horn. The ethereal sound produced as result is gorgeous, mesmerizing, and truly enchanting. I feel as if I could fall under the spell of any one of the instruments but as a whole, in this weave, they are irrefutable. Unlike the opening number, there is enough developmental flow in the first movement of this suite to make it interesting and never boring. The second movement is slower, thicker, heavier, thicker, despite the more active play of the muted chimes over the top. There is a much more pronounced and slow moving wave-like low end here--harmonics or strums of a treated zither, I'm not sure. And a very engaging melody of longing and imploring seems to come from these harmonic overtones. Incredible! The third movement opens with a drone-like note in the unusual place of the upper registers of the harmonic mix--and it is sustained--almost like a large alabaster 'singing bowl' is being played. For the first three minutes, the background of various chimes, organ bass tones and zither are supportive but truly at the call and beckoning of the singing bowl in front. Then there is a subtle but pronounced shift as the drone of the singing bowl softens and recedes slightly, giving the zither and other sounds a little more prominence. Overall, "Honey Mushroom" is an absolutely brilliant piece of music--entertaining, satisfying, and never overstaying its welcome despite its 40 minutes. (10/10)

Five stars; a true masterpiece of Progressive Electronic music.

Some artists have made a lot of albums, some artists made albums with big winding epics and long tracks, and then there is Alio Die, who manages to do both. Progressive Electronic, more exactly ambient music has been a genre I have been following ever since the start of this year with the help of Brian Eno. I find a warm sense of nostalgia and hope for this genre of music, so much so that one of my favorite albums that came out this year was a Prog electronic album. It is a genre that I think isn't exactly for everyone, but it is certainly one that can give an experience like no other. One of the main selling points for the genre, and artists as a whole is how many albums and artists can make with the genre. One of the most prolific artists who come from this genre, Brian Eno, has over 30 albums, and the most popular Prog Electronic band, Tangerine Dream, has nearly 100 albums. It is a genre in which you get a lot out of, but still, have a lot more stuff to look into. Recently I have been following an artist for a bit, that being Alio Die.

Stefano Musso's drone and ambient project, Alio Die, came about in the late 80s and or early 90s. He has made over 60 albums under the Alio Die name, with collaborations included. He has worked with many other prominent figures in the progressive electronic scene, most notably for this work of his, Stefano Musso, who has been with the project ever since the first album, Under An Holy Ritual. This project of his has built a track record of creating long ambient pieces, one of which reaching to be an hour long. I have been following him for quite a bit after hearing one of his recent albums this year, that being Distillation of Time, which I have reviewed before. While I was mixed about the album, I was intrigued by how his other albums differ, and gotta say at a first glance they do not feel the same, but if you pay attention you find noticeable details in his music that show his very high demeanor work effort.

The title track for this album kicks it off in a massive way. The best and most fulfilling experience for this album is with a good set of headphones or stereo speakers. Try to remain in a mostly silent place where nothing is going on for the most part and try to shut your mind off. Do not pay attention to the music per se, let it pay attention to you if that makes sense. The repetitive yet calm drone and soothing synths are the main staples of this track, and the longer you allow yourself to relax your mind, the longer the song lets those two factors wash over you much more easily. From a musical standpoint, this track is very bare bones and lackluster, but if you do not look at it as a musical piece and instead something like a painting, then you'll get a ton out of it. This reminds me of a time I went to a museum with my mom. I cannot remember the music that was being played in the museum, but I do remember the feeling of looking at some very interesting paintings. They weren't my favorite paintings ever, but that experience is what I get with the track. I may not remember the full picture, but I can know what it felt like to allow the scenery and everything around me to shower me. This track works best when you focus on it for a change. Allow the track to listen to you, rather than you listening to it. That is how you can allow this piece of music to be fully understood and appreciated.

This also plays into effect with the second track of the album, Innamorato, however, unlike the feeling I get with looking at a painting or being in a museum, I feel like I am in an aquarium. That same feeling I have with this song applies to my memories of going to an aquarium for the first time, since the song feels cold and blue, yet not in a sad way, but more in a tranquil way. How everything feels abstract and wobbly around it, how everything seems to bleed into each other, it feels very distant, yet very close as well. I am not going to pretend that this is groundbreaking in terms of ambient music sake, since a good amount of artists have made albums that do give this feeling as well, so in that retrospect, it might feel silly to point out something that other artists have done in the past, and the future, but I feel like that shouldn't be something to worry about. At the end of the day, the point of ambient music isn't to be big and verbose, but to give off feelings we might point to based on our life experiences, and based on that this piece, while practically being the shortest in every sense of the word, does indeed excel in that regard.

Lastly, is the three-part suite of Honey Mushroom. This one is an odd one for me since to me it doesn't bring back any nostalgic memories at all. I do feel like this is a more woodland feeling track, with the light acoustics in the back peering their heads out like how trees sprout in the ground, but I can never recall a memory of being out in a forest. My lack of nostalgic childhood memories for a forest sadly makes this probably the weakest track off the album, and it's not that it is a bad track, but the album had a good streak of making me feel nostalgic, and this piece comes along and ends it. It doesn't break the album, but it doesn't make it either. I say this track should've been put on a separate album and instead allow Innamorato to be a long piece of sorts, this way the album's feeling of nostalgia remains the same. Now whether Alio Die's intention for this album was to create a sense of nostalgia is unknown to me, but if I were him I would leave this track on the cutting room floor and expand more parts of the album that I think deserve more attention, and more opportunities to wash over the listener's body.

On that low note aside, this album can make a good experience as a whole. It may not be the best album out there, it certainly isn't, but I think it isn't harmful to at least give it a try, and maybe find something about it that might relate to something from your past, who knows maybe my thoughts and feelings for these songs and how they made me look back on my past might be hugely different than yours. Give it a chance.