SYNAPSE-SHAIHULUD

By 2007, FIVE THOUSAND SPIRITS returned to its trio formation, consisting of original members Raffaele Serra and Stefano Musso and inviting Tommaso Cimò a.k.a. ZEIT, to this " Synapse-Shaihulud" release.

As more or less forwarned by their 2006´s two-disc project, this release adds up to the trio performance, the magnificence of extraordinary "studio engineering", which of course has been present in all their releases, but on this one, it is an integral part of its music direction. It certainly reminds me of Brian Eno in this regard, in its "studio engineering minimalism" to call it somehow.

"Synapse-Shaihulud", continues these "Spirits" into their journey of contemporary electronic "cosmic" music, which by way of expression, distances itself from the possible "ambient" tagging, and in all form, could actually be considered Progressive Electronics in its purest form.

A four track record, two "long" tracks and two shorter ones. Track one "Aardwolf" a 20 minutes composition,is another 5000 Spirits "masterpiece", which in its process, travels into a all kind of musical figures, from past to present, electronic music wise speaking. Well worth the price of the album, but of course there is more. The second song "Mnomquah", the shorter of this cd, is a clear example of the studio engineering, I mentioned above.

Track 3 "From These Ashes", also a multi-figure 9 and a half minutes song, opposite to it sisters, is the slow paced one, rich in nostalgic moments without losing its basic electronic timbres among its minimally charged "ambient" environment.

Track 4, "Lulungomeena" the last track, is a 20 minutes song, which is closer to ZEIT's electronic language, than the "Spirits" themselves. A well achieved but quiet long piece, considering the melody lines, which although interesting, run for too long. In its approximation in the use of rhythm "pulses" , which never were really that present in their previous efforts, it is easily the most recognizable, yet not entirely the astounding piece of the project, in direct proportion to the rest of the compositions.

Anyway, ****4 "essential" PA stars. The journey continues.