There is something totally unique in the music of Fennesz
that brings experimental and evocative so close together
that the boundary is often blurred. If this has been
true from his first records, his 2001 album Endless
Summer, released on Austrian label Mego, totally
redefined his sound in many ways, making it more appealing,
warmer, and ultimately more accessible, while retaining
the visionary landscapes of its predecessors. Three
years on and Christian Fennesz continues to reshape,
with Venice, his musical manifesto, bringing
on board new elements to give his textures a more human
aspect.
Hailing from the Austrian capital, Vienna, Christian
Fennesz first appeared as part of experimental rock
ensemble Maische before he started releasing his solo
material on Mego in 1995. His first four track EP, Instrument,
showcased his heavily treated and layered guitar sounds
combined with electronic textures and glitches, in just
four tracks. A year or so later, he offered a more extended
and comprehensive version of his sonic vision on the
Hotel Paral.lel album. Since, he has taken
part in an impressive number of projects, collaborating
with the likes of Jim O’Rourke, Peter Rehberg,
Biosphere or Rosy
Parlane on records, got involved with numerous art installations
and worked on a couple of soundtracks. His 2001 album
Endless Summer saw Fennesz applying a warmer,
more melodic template to his sonic construction, gaining
in the process new devoted followers. Following the
Field Recordings 1995-2003 compilation released
last year on Touch, Christian Fennesz is now unleashing
the long awaited follow up to Endless Summer
in the shape of Venice. Loosely arranged in
four sections articulated around three short interludes,
Onsra, Onsay and Asusu, this
album continues to explore beautiful dense soundscapes.
Once again, Fennesz’s treated guitars and electronics
form the backbone of this album, with ephemeral melodies
emerging from the fog only to be swallowed again. Meticulously
layering his sounds into vast vaporous constructions,
Fennesz arranges his textures to either clash against
or morph into stunning beat-less backdrops, translating
a wide range of emotions into his music. Bringing on
board Austrian experimental guitarist Burkhard Stangl
on the stunning and grandiose Circassian, one
of the highlights of this record, and the effortless
Laguna, and ex-Japan front man David Sylvian
on Transit, a song at times reminiscent of
This Mortal Coil, Fennesz engages in new challenges,
confidently developing new scopes for his music. Slightly
darker than its predecessor, Venice offers
some superb dreamy moments (Rivers Of Sand,
Circassian, The Other Face or the
closing The Stone Of Impermanence), bringing
to the surface the more granular side of Fennesz’s
music to the surface.
For this fifth original solo album, Fennesz appears
to bring more than ever the density of his sonic experimentations
and the lightness of his arrangements together. Totally
at ease with his beautiful soundscapes, building up
on his previous work yet effortlessly injecting fresh
elements to allow his music to evolve almost by itself,
Christian Fennesz creates with this album a faultless
soundtrack that will have Kevin Shields die of jealousy.
4.9/5 |
