Fief's debut album is so short it fits on one side of a 33 rpm record. So what does the label do? Instead of making a 2 sided 45 rpm record or a single sided record like most companies would... they make two stampers of the exact same thing and have the album on both sides. I find this incredibly amusing.
Enough about the physical media, what does this thing sound like? This album is one part harp, one part harpsichord, one part flute, all part synth. The compositions here have a high medieval feel to them, almost baroque.
This is high class dungeon synth... without the gloomyness... played in a major key. In actuality this does not sound like dungeon synth outside of the instrumentation used (a keyboard). This really feels like a tribute to the end of the middle ages. Moving out of the dark ages and into an age where art and science are allowed to flourish.
At just over 20 minutes in length this album begs to be played multiple times in a row. The more I listen to this thing the more I fall in love with it. It's so light and jubilant. The instruments sparkle and with just a tiny hint of reverb sound like they are being played in a large hall or old church.
While only using two to three instruments the interplay between them elevates the music to a point where it feels full and rich. I've heard this type of music before, but its a few hundred years old. What Fief does here is put a modern take on an old and refined art style, and by doing so has carved a corner of the musical world all for themselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment