Browsing Tag

Neo-Classical

The formidable queen of orchestral indie, Tabitha Booth, set a baroque score in her single, Silent Lucidity

Coming to you live from Cocoon Studios, Tabitha Booth set a baroque score in her evocatively artful cover of Queensrÿche’s hit 90s song, Silent Lucidity. The chamber strings carve through the indie artist’s neo-classic class, which effortlessly resonates through her Tori Amos-ESQUE vocal lines and the tension-fraught arrangements that stands as a testament to her ability to weave an intricate and picturesque narrative.

Amanda Palmer may be the ‘Girl Anachronism’, but Tabitha Booth established herself as the formidable queen of orchestral indie after unveiling the disquiet alchemy in Silent Lucidity. We are stoked to see her back on the airwaves after the reprieve that followed her 2020 single, Curiosity. Here’s to hoping that there’s plenty more poignantly pensive alchemy lingering in the pipeline.

The live recording of Silent Lucidity is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Discover your new metaphysical playlist staple with Basil Babychan’s ambient composition. Phantasm

Hans Zimmer fans will want to delve into the latest composition by Indo-Dutch artist Basil Babychan which extends his mission to create music from the soul for the soul; the concept behind the neo-classic ambient composition, Phantasm, is a lesson in philosophy. In his own words;

“Coping mechanisms are often subject to debate and scrutiny. They improve mental and emotional well-being by addressing anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns, derived from painful real-life events. In many cases, one makes conscious or unconscious choices that enhances control over behaviour or gives psychological comfort by creating an alternate reality. Fantasy and Reality often overlap. We need Fantasy to survive our Reality.”

Phantasm unravels as the perfect soundscape to embrace our true reality, in all of its infinite metaphysical possibility and beauty. In the prelude, the intricate keys start tentatively ascending, as more layers amass in the meditatively textured single; Phantasm becomes a transcendental experience that reminds you, we’re all just energy constrained by our vision of a 4D reality.

Phantasm is due for official release on October 29th; you can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Revel in the petrichor with Lian Kyla’s standout piano composition, After Rain

Lian Kyla

Revel in the petrichor with After Rain, the standout single from producer and composer Lian Kyla’s debut EP, Dream Maker. Each soundscape is an expression of creativity and emotion from the Philippines-based singer-songwriter, producer and author whose work resounds as much on the airwaves as it does onscreen.

The captivating progressions blossom in the tranquil release that introduces you to the artist’s unique neo-classical flair which she carves out through minimalist minor-key notes and delicate orchestral swells. The score brings you closer to nature without you ever having to leave your living room. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, it has the feel of a modern masterpiece.

Dream Maker is now available to stream in full via SoundCloud. Connect with the artist via Facebook & Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chiptune meets classical in Mr. Tyler Larson’s Flight of the Bumble Bee (Arcade Version)

Rimsky-Korsakov’s original score, Flight of the Bumble Bee, was imagined for a full symphonic orchestra; Mr. Tyler Larson inventively reimagined it through arcade sounds and vintage synths.

In this unexpected collision of chiptune and classical, the flurrying notes swathe you in 80s nostalgia while the dizzying pace of the intermittent bleeps leaves you utterly arrested. I have heard Flight of the Bumble Bee covered many times before, but this theatrically digital rendition is easily one of the most inventive.

Flight of the Bumble Bee (Arcade Version) released on July 1st. You can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nizar Bredan starts a ‘Journey’ with his latest neo-classic composition.

Libya-born, Brussels-based self-taught neoclassical composer and pianist Nizar Breden has released his latest composition, Journey; through the gentle melodic crescendos, Bredan’s diverse cultural heritage emerges through the delicate score that is provoking and profound in equal measure.

By switching between dramatic, uplifting and tentative cadences, Journey is a score that will leave you hooked by its multifaceted nature, expressive textures, and Bredan’s ability to melodically flit between melancholy and an almost Machiavellian style of playfulness.

After finding influence in the wandering tones of Chopin, the circulating melodies of Tiersen and the evocative works Ólafur Arnalds, Ludovico Einaudi and Nils Frahm, Bredan discernibly found his signature style that will easily enamour any fans of the aforementioned.

Journey is the first of the singles to come from his new series of original compositions; the rest are due to follow throughout 2021 and 2022.

Journey is now available to stream via Spotify.

Lee Olivier-Hall – This is Only the Beginning: A Conceptually Profound Neo-Classic Account of Lockdown-Melancholy

Artist and composer Lee Olivier-Hall is set to release his most candid work to date. His EP ‘Moments in Sound’ was written during the pandemic as the film composer captured the emotional impact of uncertainty, fear and isolation.

The conceptual duplicity of the lead single, This is Only the Beginning, plays with our newly found pessimism and fear of beginnings as the tender ambient neo-classic keys reflect the fragility of our optimism. The use of spatial effect and instrumental minimalism is devastatingly profound as it mimics the hollow, vacuous nature of our new world.

Since graduating from BIMM London, the artist has primarily focused on composing for film, his experience scoring for film reflects in the visual nature of the four-track EP which is easily one of the most stunning accounts of lockdown melancholy.

This is Only the Beginning will be available to stream and purchase on all major platforms from June 4th. In the meantime, you can check out Lee Olivier-Hall via his website, Instagram or Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jason Potter paved the way to a spiritual journey with his sophomore album, ‘The Marriage of Celestial Things’.

The Marriage of Celestial Things by Jason Potter

Experimentally spiritual London-based artist Jason Potter has followed on from his 2020 debut album with the release of ‘The Marriage of Celestial Things’. With Gregorian chants meeting gothic inclination, the dark sermonic soundscapes may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Yet, anyone with the proclivity to delve into an exploration of the duality between damnation and salvation will want to bear witness to the subversive eight-track album.

The opening single, Creation, acts as a guide into the light within the arcane orchestral album; but it isn’t long before the haunting and evocatively striking tones pierce through the ambience in the neo-classic soundscape. With ominous spoken-word offerings, The Marriage of Celestial Things purposely disturbs as a method of awakening.

When fully immersed in the album, you can practically feel your tunnel vision widening as you’re drawn away from superficiality and forced to reconcile with the vastness of the universe and yourself.

While some artists fall out of the mainstream to make a point, perceptibly, Potter’s authenticity was something that he didn’t have to orchestrate.

The Marriage of Celestial Things is available to stream and download on Bandcamp from May 14th, 2021.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Brian Crosby – A Strong Tide of Liberty: An Intimate Take on Neo-Classical

Brian Crosby’s ‘A Strong Tide of Liberty’ may not be an OST to a motion picture film, but the minimalist neo-classic soundscape will evoke plenty of its own imagery as it experiments with your rhythmic pulses and allows you to rehash memories that ring with the same psychological timbre.

It’s a stunning instrumental piano score, and thankfully, there will be plenty more to come from the Irish-based composer in 2021 and beyond. A Strong Tide of Liberty is just one of the singles to feature on their modern and intimate album, ‘Imbrium’.

A Strong Tide of Liberty is now available to stream via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Georgia Polyniki collaborated with Angeliki Preza and Angelo Bianco for her latest exotic operetta

For her latest release, classically trained singer, Georgia Polyniki, collaborated with pianist Angeliki Preza and fellow vocalist Angelo Bianco to create a stunning operetta.

Georgia Polyniki’s award-winning vocals breathe new life into the Greek lyrics, originally scribed by Theoklis Kuyalis, in her romantically sentimental score. In a time when it seems like beauty is hard to find, the true beauty of voices such as Georgia Polyniki’s shine through. British unilingual minds may not be able to decipher the poetry in the lyricism, but the tenderness of the neo-classic piano keys, the quiescence of the classical strings and the power of Georgia Polyniki’s striking vocals definitely set the amorous tone.

Georgia Polyniki’s latest release can be heard via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

John McCrea sets a post-classical score with ‘Mantra Mantra’

Dublin-based composer and electronica artist, John McCrea, paints with textures of post-classical, Europop and ambient minimalism, yet his un-constrainable sonic prowess becomes more than just sound through the imagery it inspires and the emotion it evokes. The perfect introduction to their cinematic style is the title single to their latest solo album, ‘Mantra Mantra’.

Mantra Mantra is a progressively sensual whirlwind of intensity which permits flurried piano notes to capture urgency while the low reverberant hum of the bassline is a grounding layer of realism which reflects the dread which is very much a part of our mortal coil.

It’s so much more than your average vibe out playlist essential, crank up the volume and you’ll enter a new world constructed by the enigmatic artist who has made a name for himself writing for theatre and dance. His talent is just as mesmerising as a standalone soundscape, there are a plethora of layers to unpack, any attempt to dissect the soundscape feels like butchery.

Mantra Mantra is available to stream via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast