In the past, Cloudland Canyon have created music in the format of longer suites, but with An Arabesque, they opt for more standard-length tracks of roughly five minutes each. What with intros, outros and other structural elements, you might be led to believe that CC are now writing conventional songs. You'd be wrong.
There's little in the way of chorus-and-verse structure here, and the vocals tend to move in cycles of repeated passages, creating something akin to a pattern on fabric. Much like the arpeggiated kosmische synths and the motorik beats, the singing components of An Arabesque are used as texture in the creation of a rich tapestry. All of the musical components are in a state of flux, however, so the album ends up more like an ever-evolving patchwork quilt than something more static.
Which isn't to say that CC eschew manipulating our emotions with their singing — quite the contrary. Although there are moments of edgy paranoia and psychedelic dreaminess, the vocals generally echo with celebratory joy. An Arabesque is a delight of intricacies, but overall it will buoy the listener with its energy.
(Medical Records)There's little in the way of chorus-and-verse structure here, and the vocals tend to move in cycles of repeated passages, creating something akin to a pattern on fabric. Much like the arpeggiated kosmische synths and the motorik beats, the singing components of An Arabesque are used as texture in the creation of a rich tapestry. All of the musical components are in a state of flux, however, so the album ends up more like an ever-evolving patchwork quilt than something more static.
Which isn't to say that CC eschew manipulating our emotions with their singing — quite the contrary. Although there are moments of edgy paranoia and psychedelic dreaminess, the vocals generally echo with celebratory joy. An Arabesque is a delight of intricacies, but overall it will buoy the listener with its energy.