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Snowdrops — Missing Island
(Bandcamp Injazero Records, 2022, LP / DL)

by Henry Schneider, Published 2023-03-27

Missing Island Cover art

Missing Island is the new album by Snowdrops, the collaboration between Christine Ott (Ondes Martenot and piano), Mathieu Gabry (piano and synths), and Anne-Irène Kempf (viola). The seven instrumental tracks are a beautiful combination of these instruments. “Retour à la Terre” opens the album with introspective piano textures layered over drones and viola. “Firebirds” picks up the tempo and the resonance builds to an emotional environmental experience. “Land of Waves” is a floating cyclic wonder that slowly ebbs and flows and then fades away. “Nostalgia de la Luz” is a delicate ambient combination of sustained piano chords and synth. “Radioactive Breath” changes directions with its edgy and ominous undertones. Then we encounter the album's masterpiece, “Et Comme Souffle qui Vent,” that features the Ondes Martenot, drones, and viola interweaving that reminds me quite a bit of Tony Conrad and Faust’s Outside the Dream Syndicate. The album closes with “Mémoires élémentaires,” a delicate new agey piece with Kempf’s viola reminding me of Daniel Kobialka and Windham Hill Records. Overall, Missing Islands is an exquisite set of music that soothes the soul.

Filed under: New releases, 2022 releases

Related artist(s): Christine Ott, Snowdrops

More info
http://snowdrops.bandcamp.com/album/missing-island-2

 

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