Treny

A casual glance at the brooding and beautiful cover art of Treny might lead to the assumption that it's either an elegant goth/folk construction or a post-black metal valentine (or both). As it happens that's probably not too far off a description in any event, since Jacaszek's delicate string arrangements and keening vocals set in counterpoint to the compressed rushes of electronic swells and sighs -- almost like a computer with stuttering breathing -- are aiming at a new kind of fusion with well established roots. If acts like In the Nursery have long established possibilities of combining classical instrumentation with electronic experimentation, Jacaszek seeks to send things further forward, with songs as prone to murky glitch cut ups and reverses as they are the kind of mournful passion that could have made this a release on Projekt or Cold Meat Industries as much as Miasmah, the Norwegian label that does the honors here. Maja Sieminska's seemingly wordless singing demonstrates her abilities at following in the footsteps of Lisa Gerrard well, while Stefan Wesolowski, who handles the actual string arrangements, and Ania Smiszek-Wesolowska acquit themselves very well on violin and cello respectively, a team playing in moody counterpoint song for song. Michal Jacaszek himself puts it all together with his unsettling rhythms and production, with touches like the water-drop echo on "Zal." ~ Ned Raggett