FORREST FANG The Wolf at the Ruins/Migration (limited edition double CD on Projekt)
Originally released in 1989 this 2014 version of The Wolf at the Ruins, features 75 minutes and includes 15 minutes of previously unreleased music recorded during the sessions creating the album.
A variety of instruments join with delicate electronics to craft this evocative music.
Ethnic strings, winsome woodwinds, strummed harps, elongated chimes, haunting violin sections, sportive pipes...all conspiring with textural electronics to achieve a relaxed drama that creeps under the skin. Fang smoothly blends all types of instruments together to generate a flow that defies codification despite its Asian roots.
Much of the electronics are, actually, limited to background tonalities, leaving the stage to be dominated by natural instruments. Yet the way Fang mixes everything together, this separation often eludes notice. The flow is so perfect, so deft, so masterful.
Infrequent doses of complex percussion occur to season the drifting tuneage with a mild taste of locomotion.
These "Wolf at the Ruins" compositions blend Eastern motifs with Western application to achieve a dreamy brand of sonic tension. The music flows with casual determination, unrelenting yet delicate, ethnic yet modern, ethereal yet insistent. This music is gripping in its sinuous structure, moving from urgent moment to cosmic passage to enthusiastic crescendo to moody stretch. This ingenious fluidity produces tuneage of grand beauty.
While...
Originally released in 1986 this 2014 version of Migration, features 50 minutes and includes 8 minutes of previously unreleased music recorded during the sessions creating the album.
Fanciful keyboards blend with a variety of delicate electronics to produce tuneage of a beatific character.
The electronics provide textural backdrops for the other instruments, including a selection of additional electronics. Drones are transformed into crisply floating tonalities that pulsate with a cheery luster.
The keys delineate sparkling melodies, generating sultry threads of cerebral beauty. And yet on other occasions, the keys are triggered by nimble-fingered direction to issue forth peppy melodies of a jovial character. There are instances in which the keys seem to approximate shrill woodwinds and lusty horns.
Ethnic strings introduce an international flavor to some pieces, often fusing Eastern and Western styles into a new genre with their sprightly strummed chords. As with the keys, these strings contribute both somber and spry chords at alternate times.
The Migration compositions evoke a pleasantly transcontinental disposition that combines Eastern sounds with Western sensibilities, producing a worldly sound that is appealing in its uniquely rounded nature. The tracks are all short, forcing each song to swiftly get to the point without undue dalliance. Some of the tunes smolder with delicate ambience, light-hearted and airy, while other tracks explore a more agile demeanor with bouncy melodies. The selection of moody pieces and animated songs offers a balance of tunes, driving the audience's temperament up and down throughout the album. There's a sense of drama in these tunes that keeps the album lively and full of unexpected delights.
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