larkian - Lunos QzaDead Vox

Larkian

Lunos Qza
Dead Vox; 2014

4.3 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

Last year we reviewed Dotted Drives & Drones Delays by Larkian and to be fair we were taken aback by the drones, waves of distortion and dissonance and experimental textures throughout the album. A year and a half later Larkian are back with Lunos Qza, which expands on the ideas and foundations on the first record. For fans of artists like Fennesz, Tim Hecker and Max Richter this is the artist you should be listening to that you haven't heard of yet. 

The four tracks here take you through immersive soundscapes that are best listened to on headphones and perhaps in an altered state of consciousness if that’s your thing. Your attention to the details is imperative as the beauty in the music often lies in the subtleties and nuances.

The first track “Lumerk” starts off with a hypnotic sustained tone that experiences slight fluctuations in dynamics. As it progresses waves of white noise are introduced and reverberations of various elements seem to shatter. The build up is slow and feels like watching someone age over time. You don’t notice the change until you look at a picture of the past. The same holds true here, as the evolution seems so natural that when you start the track over again you are amazed at the difference.

“Nodeam” starts off sounding like an engine room in an alien spacecraft with technology we haven't discovered yet. The sounds are ostracizing and induce feelings of separation and anxiety.  As with “Lumerk” the track becomes more intense and powerful although the impending sense of dissociation strengthens with this track.

“Sqimyr” differs from the first two tracks in terms of structure. The first two got more intense as they progressed whereas “Sqimyr” was more of an explorative soundscape that had ebbs and flows. There's still a copious amount of white noise and dissonance but also the sense of tension and relief.

The closer “Zaadra” is an atmospheric, ominous piece that doesn't have any elements that felt like a focal sound. Probably not something you want to listen to fall asleep to unless you want to wake up on the other side of the universe.

Overall, Larkian delivers on Lunos Qza. The soundscapes are journeys I highly recommend you take.

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