Tristeza: Come Along on a Surreal Shoegaze Journey

With a very acoustic composition the new surreal Shoegaze album by Netherlands based band Resplandor is an ethereal, mesmerizing musical treat.  Antonio Zelada, songwriter and lyricists for Resplandor describes the new album Tristeza as “being able to be played without the wall of sound and would work well before the effects montage.”  The album was produced and mixed by Robin Guthrie and mastered by Simon Scott. 

Tristeza starts with the entrancing song “Blue” The rhythmic and hypnotic start to “Blue” propels the listener towards the dual vocals that entwine and beckon.  A cadenced chime,  like a magical heartbeat,  keeps the listener from falling completely into the dreamlike soundscape.  “Rêverie” has an alluring female vocal that is enticing but seems deliciously just out of reach.  Within the song a cello teases and Robin Guthrie adds some bass.  The title song of the album Tristeza has a somniferous air with a beautiful wafting and drift inspiring sound.  “Adore” has an anodyne flowing sound that feels as though you are bobbing along with captivating buoyancy on a mythical sea of sound. There is an old school Shoegaze sound to the song.  “Océano” makes great use of the drums as the song ebbs and flows like a roiling sea, lifting and dropping the listener in a tumultuous ocean soundscape.  “Feel” has a more intense sound with haunting lyrics that flux and undulate taking the listener on an introspective musical journey.  Once again with a comfortable old school Shoegaze sound “Silencio” intrigues and motivates the listener to traverse a spectacular musical landscape.

This beautiful surreal Shoegaze album by Resplandor is well worth listening to.

Music and lyrics Antonio Zelada (vocals, guitars, e-bow, programming) 

Joeri Gydé (bass, baritone guitar, cello), 

Christopher Farfán (drums), 

Tatiana Balaburkina (synthesizer, backing vocals) 

Artwork by Puck Verheul

 Released by Automatic and pressed in the Netherlands by Deepgrooves.

(93) Resplandor - Blue (Robin Guthrie Mix) - YouTube

Tristeza | Resplandor (bandcamp.com)

Resplandor Official – Shoegaze music 

Surreal Shoegaze Band Resplandor

Using the Spanish word for radiance, the name Resplandor was actually inspired by band member Antonio Zelada’s interest in Stanley Kubrick’s film “The Shining” which literally translates to “El Resplandor”.

Despite coming from several different countries, including Peru and Russia, the Netherlands based band have similar musical influences making it easy for them to find a single direction when composing arrangements for their songs.  Although at the moment their songs are in English and Spanish, the bands ethnic diversity means that at sometime they may even produce songs in Dutch or Russian.

Resplandor’s songs have a tinge of melancholy. Being an independent band has allowed Resplandor a certain autonomy which has resulted in an honesty in their music, a true reflection of how songwriter and lyricist Antonio feels at the times he is inspired. 

Antonio cites the sea as a huge inspiration to the music he writes.  The sea, for him, inspires a melancholy through its beauty and greatness but also has that hint of loneliness.  He  talks of “the stars at night that you see but at the same time are so far away you cannot touch them.”  The sky, landscapes and even the air we breath can be great influences when composing according to Antonio. 

When writing songs for the band Antonio begins with a guitar melody.  After recording it and listening to it for awhile he decides if he is happy with it or if the music needs to be tweaked.  Once he is satisfied with the music he writes the lyrics for the song.  Using the chords, melody and lyrics Antonio makes the guitar arrangements.  A demo with drums, bass and keyboard sequences is recorded.  In the studio guitars and voices are recorded as well as the synths, bass and drums of the other band members.  The tracks are then put in order, mixed and mastered.

Antonio also explains that as part of the creative process “music and all kinds of art are an influence.”  Garnering inspiration from film makers like Stanley Kubrick, Wim Wenders, Alejandro Amenábar, Krzysztof Kieślowski, literature by Cortázar, Borges and others are also sources of creativity.  

Resplandor loves “the adrenaline of playing live.”  The band enjoys interacting with the audience and seeing them connect to the music.  They also like talking to the audience after a gig.  “Being able to transmit the energy of our songs and play loud” is something Resplandor relish.  Resplandor has toured extensively.  Their music was so admired by musician Robert Smith that he invited them to open for his band The Cure in Lima.

 During a four year break from live performances Resplandor participated in some compilation album work as well as doing some remixes.  They also recorded a cover of “Until She Comes” by the Psychedelic Furs.  Now with a new album out Resplandor are looking forward to playing at festivals again. They are also planning to start work on their next album.

If you are new to the music of Resplandor they remind you that music and art are something that attracts you.  There is a lot about this band that makes them worth a listen. 

Resplandor Official – Shoegaze music 

Inner Missing’s Ninth Album Dead Language

Dead Language is the new album by Israeli based band Inner Missing.  From the title track “Dead Language” the listener is transported into a dark gothic soundscape.  With an ominous hypnotic sound, and a disturbing rhythmic chime reminiscent of some sort of ancient carnival, the song Dead Language tantalizingly takes the listener on a haunting journey.  The bleak vocals of Sigmund are tangled beautifully with the operatic vocals of Melaer to create an almost ethereal experience.  “The Quest” is inspired by the musings of British Occultist Aleister Crowley and has an enigmatic bassline and low tempo that results in an undulating music experience.  Luring the listener with a dark rhythmic sound the lyrics and music of “Empty Rooms” create a disorientating and fearful landscape. A haunting guitar carries the listener on a wavelike journey.  A chaotic musical introduction to “Long Odds” with ominous and bleak lyrics suddenly shifts with the song taking the listener into its confidence with menacing, conspiratorial whispered vocals.  Slower to build “Mute” has dreary sounding vocals that are perfect as the song ascends, dizzying the listener with changing tempo and dissonant harmonies.  The final song on the album “At Sea” makes the listener feel as though they are sailing on waves depressive and gloomy waves that ebb and flow with the music.  

The album artwork was created by Belarus artist Olga Kann.  The image is a haunting simulacrum of death, representing something once valuable which is not anymore.  

Dead Language is a fabulous album if you enjoy being immersed in a gloomy, depressive, Gothic environment with some exciting twists and turns.  

Inner Missing – Dead Language

Release: 25.02.2022

Label: Inverse Records

Duration: 35:46

Genre: Gothic Metal / Doom Metal

Links:

Youtube: (93) Inner Missing - The Quest (Official Lyric Video) - YouTube

Bandcamp: Inner Missing (bandcamp.com)

Underground Goth Metal Band Inner Missing

Inner Missing, an Israeli based underground Goth Metal Band, chose their name as a reflection of the essence of their music, namely abstract, mysterious and with self admitted awkwardness.

The current metamorphosis of the band started in 2013 and is a duo comprising of Sigmund on vocals and guitars and Melaer on keyboard and bass with session musicians joining the pair when required.  The band traces the origins of its music style back to their roots in St Petersburg which Inner Missing describes as having a “distinct atmosphere of hostility and despair with a slight hint of romantic decadence”. 

Citing the actual writing of the lyrics for their songs as the most important part of the creative process for Sigmund, he is inspired mostly by personal experiences and incidences that he encounters in everyday life.  Having a career as a forensic pathologist, Sigmund is no stranger to the grotesque and sick.  Inner Missing fearlessly explores themes of insanity and mental disorders as well as suicide and death.  

Sigmund attributes his inspiration for lyrical conception to the French poet Charles Baudelaire who fostered a belief in praising mad and disgusting things.  Being more of a reader then a conversationalist Sigmund’s inspirations come from literature especially such classics as Nausea by JP Sartre and Kafka’s The Castle.  

For their albums The Sentinel and the Murderer, Deluge and Ghostwriter, Sigmund was instrumental in the ambience and artwork for the album covers using his own photography.  At times Inner Missing finds designers and gives them the freedom to create whatever the music inspires in them. 

With no specific creative process Sigmund just allows the music to come into his head, something that can happen unexpectedly at any moment.  When he is inspired he arranges the music and then writes the accompanying lyrics.  

Although the band concentrates more on studio work they still believe that live concerts are an extremely powerful way to communicate with the audience.  With just two musicians on stage Inner Missing have an unusual way of performing live.  With minimal action on the stage the band uses video installations to create an immersive experience for the audience creating a wistful and contemplative air.  

In 2020-2022 the global pandemic stifled the bands ability to perform abroad.  Inner Missing were forced to concentrate on shows and festivals only in Russia.  Following their repatriation to Israel they plan to start performing on local and European stages.  

They are currently working on a new album.  If you like or are interested in listening to contemplative, melancholic music Inner Missing is the band for you.

 

Links:

Bandcamp: Inner Missing (bandcamp.com) 

Facebook: Inner Missing | Facebook 

Marraskuun Lapset’s Laatupoikkeama (Quality Deviation) and Pahuuden Siemen (Seeds of Evil

The first of two singles Laatupoikkeama (Quality Deviation) is a song about love by Finnish Melancholic Death Metal Band Marraskuun Lapset (Children of November)  This is however not a love song in the traditional sense but more about someone that does not think that they deserve love.  The song builds atmosphere with rhythmic and abrupt tempo changes leaving the listener delightfully disorientated.  Partanen’s serrated, snarling, primal vocals perfectly compliment the haunting melancholic female vocals of Hanna Ingo, that in direct contrast to Partanen’s tortured and powerful sound, lull and soothe the listener.  

Spotify – Laatupoikkeama - song by Marraskuun Lapset

Pahuuden Siemen (Seeds of Evil) is the second single from Marraskuun Lapset and is about cancer and the ways in which disease confronts and tortures us.  The song considers the battle with a disease like cancer and even when its finally defeated the toll of such a confrontation.  The choir within the song screams about wanting to live, shouting it so loud in the hope that death will pass by.  A choppy groove leads the listener into the song as the intensity builds.   Partanen’s grisly, anguished vocals slow before picking up pace joined by a choir of singers with melodic echoing vocals. This gives the listener the feel of a chase and the undulating, unpredictable ebb and flow of circumstance in a battle with illness. 

(93) Marraskuun Lapset - Pahuuden Siemen (Official music video) - YouTube 

Spotify – Pahuuden siemen - song by Marraskuun Lapset 

 

Artwork photo by Tero Hautamäki

Recorded at Rock Werstas by Sami Pulkkinen

Tero Hautamäki - Guitars, Bass

Janne Partanen - Vocals

Drums are played by

Teemu Koski (Vaasa Palaa).

Choir: Jussi-Pekka Litmanen, Jani Latva-Salo, Sofia Ingo, Hanna Ingo, Satu Kuru.

 

With the quality of these two songs the anticipated Marraskuun Lapset’s debut EP Lauluja Elämässä Eksynielle  (Songs For People Lost In Their Lives), set to be released by Inverse Records in late 2022, is something to look forward to.

Links:

(1) Marraskuun Lapset | Facebook 

Hautamäki & Partanen (@marraskuun_lapset) • Instagram photos and videos

Marraskuun Lapset (bandcamp.com)

Melancholic Death Metal Band Marraskuun Lapset (November Child)

Finnish Melancholic Death Metal band Marraskuun Lapset (November Child)  comprises of musicians Tero Hautamäki and Janne Partanen.  The duo took inspiration for their band name from the start of the long winter months and the Polar nights that begin in Finland in November.  Hautamäki’s birthday is also in November.   Marras is an old Finnish word for death.  

Having both been involved in the music industry and making music for a long time Partanen and Hautamäki bring different things to Marraskuun Lapset.  Prior to their collaboration Hautamäki was primarily involved in the Punk and Rock music scene while Partanen had already delved into Death Metal and Black Metal.

The duos formation of Marraskuun Lapset was a result of similar attitudes towards music and a eagerness to use their different experiences in the music scene to foster a more melancholic, depressive and heavy type of music.  Marraskuun Lapset has found inspiration from a “darkness of mind” that they say has been motivated by the gloomy winters and what they believe is a Finnish cultural tendency towards sensitivity, depression and a hesitance to have open discussions.  The rich history of Death Metal in Finland had a particular influence on Partanen as a vocalist but for Hautamäki Marraskuun Lapset is his first foray into Death Metal.

“When you get older you contemplate death” according to Marraskuun Lapset and this has influenced the themes that they explore in their music.  With songs written from the heart, Hautamäki and Partanen explore such evocative topics as sickness, divorce, suicide and the mistakes we make in life.  

The talents and ideas of Hautamäki and Partanen permeate all aspects of the group. Having a clear idea of the image they want to foster for Marraskuun Lapset the duo cultivate the aesthetic with care.   Hautamäki is a skilled photographer whose beautiful, dark photographs further enhance the groups concepts of melancholy and forlorness, serving as the artwork for their albums.  

With a debut EP almost ready and an upcoming new music video about to be released Marraskuun Lapset are currently writing news songs.  They have a live crew in rehearsals ready for when they start performing for audiences  

Admitting that “this is not happy music for happy people” and acknowledging “its ok to be sad sometimes”, Marraskuun Lapset encourage anyone unfamiliar with the band to listen to their music with an open mind.  This interesting and unique fusion of Death Metal and Goth Metal is well worth listening to.  The band encourages everyone to also follow them on social media to get the most up to date information on Marraskuun Lapset and all they are up to.

Links:

(1) Marraskuun Lapset | Facebook 

Hautamäki & Partanen (@marraskuun_lapset) • Instagram photos and videos 

Marraskuun Lapset (bandcamp.com)