dark jazz
I have just returned from another exquisite edition of Dunk! festival. It was a magical three days, loaded with post rock, doom metal and everything related. It was also quite exhausting, so for the time being I'm not going to get into heavy, fast and pummeling albums.
Instead, I'll delve into the blissful sounds of dark jazz, courtesy of Ukrainian band The Orchestra Of Mirrored Reflections. Regular Merchants Of Air readers will probably know that this is one of our most followed acts, having appeared here several times in the past few years.
And of course, there is a real good reason for that. These guys are awesome. From day one their dark jazz has enchanted and inspired me. Their music was a constant in my writing sessions for Cecilia's World and it's basically the imaginary soundtrack to my new novel. That novel will be a gritty, harsh and dark thriller, one that can best be read while listening to these gritty and dark jazz sounds. To be a bit more specific, the title track of this album, 'Narrow Escape', has been playing while I wrote the key-scene and if they ever turn this book into a film, I want that song to be the theme song.
However, this album also contains the one Orchestra Of Mirrored Reflections track that I'm not that fond of. In my mind, there seems to be something wrong with opener 'Dissociative Fugue'. I think it's the mixing as the sax feels too loud. Yet, apart from that, I will undoubtedly recommend this album to all fans of Bohren, Dale Cooper, Radare, The Thing With Five Eyes and so on. This is pure dark jazz galore. Besides, the Orchestra easily makes up for that one mixing-misstep. 'Marvelous Journey' is exactly what the title predicts and already one of my favorite dark jazz tunes of the moment.
'Le Printemps arrive dans l'Hémisphère Nord' could as well be a part of Miles Davis' 'Ascenseur pour l'échafaud' soundtrack. It's a short tune but such a nice and atmosphere one. 'Stay Low' allows ambient sounds to take over the jazz atmosphere, making it another brilliant piece of slow and immersive music. Finally, 'Fire Burns Brighter In The Dark' delivers a classic and perfect ambient-jazz hybrid, adding a ritual element to the minimal but effective music. At the end, there is also a neat bonus track, a short jazz jam so it seems.
So yes, apart from that loud sax in the opening tune, this album is a fantastic example of dark jazz. I don't think that there is any more to write about this full-length. If any of the aforementioned bands appear in your day-to-day playlist, you definitely should give this one a shot, and while you're at it, get their previous work too. The Orchestra Of Mirrored Reflections is one of the most interesting dark jazz act on this planet. It's time the planet knows that...
Serge
Instead, I'll delve into the blissful sounds of dark jazz, courtesy of Ukrainian band The Orchestra Of Mirrored Reflections. Regular Merchants Of Air readers will probably know that this is one of our most followed acts, having appeared here several times in the past few years.
And of course, there is a real good reason for that. These guys are awesome. From day one their dark jazz has enchanted and inspired me. Their music was a constant in my writing sessions for Cecilia's World and it's basically the imaginary soundtrack to my new novel. That novel will be a gritty, harsh and dark thriller, one that can best be read while listening to these gritty and dark jazz sounds. To be a bit more specific, the title track of this album, 'Narrow Escape', has been playing while I wrote the key-scene and if they ever turn this book into a film, I want that song to be the theme song.
However, this album also contains the one Orchestra Of Mirrored Reflections track that I'm not that fond of. In my mind, there seems to be something wrong with opener 'Dissociative Fugue'. I think it's the mixing as the sax feels too loud. Yet, apart from that, I will undoubtedly recommend this album to all fans of Bohren, Dale Cooper, Radare, The Thing With Five Eyes and so on. This is pure dark jazz galore. Besides, the Orchestra easily makes up for that one mixing-misstep. 'Marvelous Journey' is exactly what the title predicts and already one of my favorite dark jazz tunes of the moment.
'Le Printemps arrive dans l'Hémisphère Nord' could as well be a part of Miles Davis' 'Ascenseur pour l'échafaud' soundtrack. It's a short tune but such a nice and atmosphere one. 'Stay Low' allows ambient sounds to take over the jazz atmosphere, making it another brilliant piece of slow and immersive music. Finally, 'Fire Burns Brighter In The Dark' delivers a classic and perfect ambient-jazz hybrid, adding a ritual element to the minimal but effective music. At the end, there is also a neat bonus track, a short jazz jam so it seems.
So yes, apart from that loud sax in the opening tune, this album is a fantastic example of dark jazz. I don't think that there is any more to write about this full-length. If any of the aforementioned bands appear in your day-to-day playlist, you definitely should give this one a shot, and while you're at it, get their previous work too. The Orchestra Of Mirrored Reflections is one of the most interesting dark jazz act on this planet. It's time the planet knows that...
Serge
