Sae Heum Han, otherwise known as mmph, has released his second EP of electronic instrumentals – Serenade – and I’m not sure I can describe it better than the official press release for it, which states: “Melodically focused, orchestrally informed and rhythmically driven, each of Serenade’s five songs utilize a different classical trope to create Wagnerian suites in miniature. ‘Minuet’ is a stately dance in triple time (performance), ‘Tragedy’ is a play (death), ‘Elegy’ is a mourning poem (death), and ‘Serenade’ is a courtship song often played in the open air (love).”
“Minuet” is indeed a performance, with big, crashing guitars, percussion, and synths before lush pianos and strings take over the track. The choppy synths on “Tragedy” remind me of a crashing helicopter (or at least the sounds of such an event when seen in action films), which is appropriate for the title. They become almost angelic wails at one point.
The middle track, “Woodlawn,” starts and stops with chopped-up beats that resemble panicked breathing and uncertainty. “Elegy” is the creepy little synth brother to Mussorgsky’s “A Night on Bald Mountain.” The synths become gothic chants and the beats are the flapping of demon wings. The title track’s themes of love and courtship is evident from the first few notes. Synths bloom and burst and chase each other around like giddy lovers.
Serenade is an impressive piece of work. It’s bold and artful, and one of the more interesting electronica albums this year.
Keep your mind open.
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