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Indie Music: Asmodelle, Chistopher Lapina, Martin Webb

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ASMODELLE: Asmelectrix (CD on NSP Music)

This release from 2011 offers 66 minutes of chill-out electronic music.

Asmodelle is Estelle Asmodelle, an Australian electronic composer.

The songs here run the gamut from downbeat techno to chill-out. The common thread is a dedication to refreshing sonics.

The electronics are crisp and versatile. Using few texturals, Asmodelle focuses on delineating songs with strong lead melodies that feature auxiliary embellishment by additional electronics. Nimble-fingered keyboards deliver crafty riffs that gradually flow through mutations rather than simply endlessly cycle themselves. While an amount of looping is utilized, the loops tend to subtly change with each orbit, pushing the melodies into delightful transformations.

Bouncy e-perc is employed to give the melodies agile propulsion. These rhythms rarely become overly intricate, settling into languid grooves.

There are no vocals.

While there are a few downbeat pieces, most of these compositions fall into the techno chill-out class. Dub sensibilities inject a quirky dance flair that holds up throughout the album. Most of the melodies are energetic with a laid-back disposition, instilling animation without being too hyper about it. And then there are tracks in which the relaxation overwhelms even the rhythmics.

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CHRISTOPHER LAPINA: Eclectic Eve (CD on Lapina Music)

This release from 2011 features 55 minutes of modern jazz music.

Lapina (who plays synthesizer, piano, bass and chimes) is joined by: Ron Baggerman (on guitar), John Emrich (on percussion), Phil McCusker (on guitar), Dallas Smith (on bass), Rob Holmes (on saxophone), Suzanne Orban (on cello), John Fluck (on piano), Ronald Chiles (on piano), and (on one track) the Eclectic Choir (conducted by Edward Petersen), featuring Kristen Pagent, Antje Farmer, Casey Elliot, Beth Revell, Dustin Lucas, Bill Edwards, Mike Webb, and E. Daryl Duff.

Keyboard driven electronics are joined by a full range of instruments to produce music of a lovely nature.

The electronics are fluid and stately, mainly produced by keyboards and delivered as lilting melodic passages. Piano is utilized to convey a humanistic flavor full of deep emotion., tender and often introspective, yet possessing a touch of bounce.

The other instruments serve to flesh out the medium with delightful consequences, offering tuneage that is pleasant and evocative. The guitar is crisp and accessible. The bass provides a sultry undercurrent. The saxophone lends a mournful yet pensive mood. The cello injects a serious attitude that comes across as more optimistic than melancholy.

The percussion is relaxed, defining tempos of sinuous quality that serve to propel the songs with a gentle oomph.

One track features choral voices which communicate a delicate diversion into contemplative musing enlivened by cafe piano.

These compositions pursue a lighthearted temperament. While the motif is often soft jazz, an inherent classical approach seasons the emotional yearning exemplified in each song.

Conceptually, this mostly instrumental music tells the tale of a woman's life journey to becoming a knowledgeable, creative and well-rounded person.

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MARTIN WEBB: Anjar (CD on Martin Webb Music)

This CD from 2010 features 46 minutes of progressive rock music.

An assortment of instruments are used to craft undulant progressive music.

While electronics are present, they are often sublimated by the rest of the music, functioning as a subtle bonding force. Keyboards are more prevalent, contributing amiable embellishment.

Guitars possess a delightful searing quality, the type normally found in conventional rockÕnÕroll, but here the riffs pursue a more esoteric temperament. The riffs are nimble-fingered and delivered with a cavalier slickness. The notes slide into each other, generating a shrill flow of sparkling chords.

Bass functions as a strong force here, its fuzzy rumble generating a sturdy foundation.

Percussion provides nimble rhythms, often styled in eastern cadence. But some songs feature more western tempos, fitting the rockÕnÕroll mien of those tracks.

Some of these compositions fall into an eastern music genre, but they are given a distinct western touch through the rock-out characteristics of their rollicking guitar riffs. This curious blend east and west results in tasty tuneage that should appeal to fans of both genres. The melodies are vibrant and powerful, delivered with a fervent passion.

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