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The Dark Aether Project — The Dark Aether Project
((Not on label) DAP001, 1998, CD)

by Peter Thelen, Published 1998-07-01

The Dark Aether Project Cover art

Dark is right, but not in a conventional sense. This trio of Stick, guitars, and drums plays a very direct and oft-times sparse music that seems to be vaguely under the influence of 80s King Crimson. Guitarist Yaman Aksu either plays it straight with no effects, or craftily treated for some intense and blistering lead work. Stick player Adam Levin does a commendable job at the high end adding texture to the sound, and at the bottom end providing contour and dimension to the rhythmic patterns with drummer Brian Griffin. In addition, Levin creates some amazing loops and shimmering textures that are at once haunting and dreamlike, as on “Heavens Descent.” Guest vocalist Jason Wilson (Emerald Tiers) joins the project on three of the seven tracks, and breaks up the otherwise intense block of instrumental material in a good way that makes it overall more accessible. There is some uncredited sax and trumpet work (samples maybe) that punctuates several of the tunes, but otherwise it’s just the trio. “Bitter Harvest,” the final vocal tune, opens with some nice acoustic work by Yaman, later augmented by some intense electric textural development. The closer is an unlisted eleven-minute track consisting of three or four loosely structured improvs spliced together, nothing stellar mind you, but not a bad way to end the album either. In all this is a solid first effort, worthy of attention.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 15, 1998 releases

Related artist(s): The Dark Aether Project

 

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