PRICE:
$15.50
IN STOCK
ARTIST
TITLE
Nostalgia
FORMAT
CD

LABEL
CATALOG #
OKTAF 003CD OKTAF 003CD
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
6/7/2011

In 2005, Marsen Jules won over the hearts of many ambient enthusiasts with his CD debut Herbstlaub (CCO 023LP), released on the prestigious Berlin electronica imprint City Centre Offices. By that time, it was mainly Wolfgang Voigt and his famous Gas project who was associated with elegiac variations of orchestral sound fragments. Soon after its release, Herbstlaub helped to shape the sound of many aspiring artists such as Rafael Anton Irisarri and Deaf Center and was considered to be a kind of blueprint for the now-popular neo classics genre. With Nostalgia, Marsen Jules now delivers the eagerly-awaited follow- up to Herbstlaub, six years after its initial release. The eight tracks on the CD all have a strong taste of yearning and melancholia that picks things up where Jules left them in 2005. Even more than before, orchestral elements are now the center of the elegiac sound tableaus. These fragments allow the willing listener to get a small, but nevertheless intense glimpse into the unique sonic array that Marsen Jules is capable of creating. Desire, rebellion and mortality are the three central motifs that are explored over the course of the 43-minute running time. The opener "A Moment of Grace" transports the listener deeply into the musical universe of Marsen Jules by marrying fragile strings with sparse electronic elements. With its dramatic strings, the title track "Nostalgia" oscillates between stasis and motion, between rebellion and resignation. With "Shadow/Waltz" and "Endless Whisper Of The Old Brigade," Marsen Jules explores the darker side of his sonic continuum by painting ethereal, droning ambient soundscapes. After two dark and distorted tracks, the album finds its way back to its dreamier side with "Sweet Sweet Longing" and "Kunderas Dream." Finally, Marsen Jules releases the listener into a better, more peaceful world with the hauntingly beautiful "Sleep My Brother, Sleep." With his spherical compositions, Nostalgia offers the perfect soundtrack for windy spring nights for everybody interested in ambient, electronica and modern classical music.