Sepia Dreamer – The Sublime
Galactic Records – GROO2CD – 26th February 2007
by Tom Strutton
Even before tackling the musical product itself, it is apparent that Stockholm based Duo Sepia Dreamer have something special - independence of thought, means and execution. Instrumentalist/composers Sam Brokenshaw and Jonas Wennings are evidently a tight-knit unit in possession of a clear and determined musical vision, one that, whilst benefiting from the occasional help of outsiders, is ultimately enhanced as a result of this sharing of two minds as opposed to, say, four or more. In other terms, the music of Sepia Dreamer carries a certain charm that can only be attributed to the notion that the artists responsible had none other to satisfy than themselves, i.e. minimal artistic compromises, maximum control over the recording process, so on and so forth. Such a degree of freedom, when coupled with a respectable capacity for composition and an ear for sound-engineering, can reap huge rewards to be enjoyed by both artist and audience. At its best, as displayed in such records as The Sublime, the compositional process itself is allowed to shine through. Rather than forcing the reluctant listener to assume the position of passive bystander, Sepia Dreamer follow in a tradition that invites their guests to follow the shape of each track, to chart the developmental stages that see a few initial motifs pave the way for 15min+ epics.
Suggestions as to Sepia Dreamer’s unconventional leanings have been apparent from the start, with debut release Portraits of Forgotten Memories taking the form of a single thirty-nine minute suite in eight movements. As an entirely instrumental venture The Sublime continues where its predecessor left off, although the form of presentation is altered to consist of four tracks ranging from 2-20 minutes in duration. The tracks are titled in loose correspondence with Classical sonata form – 'The Exposition', 'Devolpment', 'Capitulation' – with the only exception being a short introductory piece entitled 'Gateway'. This choice of form and presentation invites further comparison to a convention established by early-seventies progressive rock artists, although it is arguable that, by enlisting specific Classical terminology, Sepia Dreamer are attempting to ally their product with the former and distance it from the latter. If any further evidence of this was required it can be found in the album’s title and direct source of inspiration, which needs a little clarifying as it is of insurmountable importance in any effort to appreciate it on its creator’s terms.
The sublime, in philosophy and literature, is a concept that has been traced back to the 1st century, first raising its head in a work on oratory rhetoric commonly attributed to Longinus. As a popular subject of serious philosophical debate it next gained ground in the 18th/19th centuries, with massive advances in the way we understand it made by Immanuel Kant, who famously compared and contrasted the sublime with the beautiful in order to distinguish between two different ways we assimilate and make sense of aesthetic experience. The sublime can be very difficult to understand for the newcomer to philosophy, being much more a process of abstract cognitive events than something that can readily be seen. In its most simplified form it is the vast terribleness of nature, which instils man with fear and horror once he has gained a little perspective on how feeble and powerless he really is. This is the understanding of the sublime that manifests itself in much visual art of the nineteenth-century , including the paintings of J.M.W Turner, one of which - Slavers throwing overboard the dead and dying – serves as a direct influence for Sepia Dreamer’s own musical exploration of the sublime. Fear, horror, all-powerful nature mercilessly asserting its authority on mortals – this may give you some idea of how the sublime has worked its way into popular imagination since the Nineteenth Century.
By opting to explore the sublime Sepia Dreamer are boldly inserting themselves into a tradition that has inspired many great works, in all artistic disciplines, over several centuries. This is a grand undertaking to say the least, but it is also the sort of risk that more bands need to take when it comes time to producing that make-or-break second album. Given that the aim of the album is clear, there is but one question – have Sepia Dreamer got it right?
'Gateway' is a typically atmospheric prelude built around layers of ethereal keyboards, over which a clean guitar picks a simple repeated motif. 'The Exposition' begins with a solitary, steady piano theme, to which successive textures are added before an epic eruption of volume at 1:36. Two heavily distorted guitars proceed to do battle over an irregular time signature, which is somewhat uncomfortable. At 7:01 the music halts and the initial piano theme is reasserted (a standard sonata-form procedure), though this time it is interrupted by heavier, menacing guitar work. Further evocations of epic scale are attempted until the final moments, at which point we are treated to a beautiful variation on the initial piano theme, and then finally, the initial piano theme itself. 'Development' is similarly varied in the moods it encompasses, though slightly heavier overall. 'Capitulation' is a shorter track (7:45 minutes) with a fantastically moody initial guitar idea.
Much thought and work has obviously gone into these ambitious compositions. This is first and foremost a progressive metal record that seeks to deliver emotional impact through the consideration of harmony, melody, texture, rhythm and form. On the whole this approach is very effective, although the synthetic orchestra sound somewhat prevents a sense of humanity from prevailing. As for its success as a conceptual record that purports to express the sublime…well, that wholeheartedly depends on the degree to which the individual listener throws their self into the record. This is one that will probably speak volumes to you when listened to in pitch-black solitary confinement.
Official Sepia Dreamer Myspace
Official Galactic Records Website
Galactic Records – GROO2CD – 26th February 2007
by Tom Strutton
Even before tackling the musical product itself, it is apparent that Stockholm based Duo Sepia Dreamer have something special - independence of thought, means and execution. Instrumentalist/composers Sam Brokenshaw and Jonas Wennings are evidently a tight-knit unit in possession of a clear and determined musical vision, one that, whilst benefiting from the occasional help of outsiders, is ultimately enhanced as a result of this sharing of two minds as opposed to, say, four or more. In other terms, the music of Sepia Dreamer carries a certain charm that can only be attributed to the notion that the artists responsible had none other to satisfy than themselves, i.e. minimal artistic compromises, maximum control over the recording process, so on and so forth. Such a degree of freedom, when coupled with a respectable capacity for composition and an ear for sound-engineering, can reap huge rewards to be enjoyed by both artist and audience. At its best, as displayed in such records as The Sublime, the compositional process itself is allowed to shine through. Rather than forcing the reluctant listener to assume the position of passive bystander, Sepia Dreamer follow in a tradition that invites their guests to follow the shape of each track, to chart the developmental stages that see a few initial motifs pave the way for 15min+ epics.
Suggestions as to Sepia Dreamer’s unconventional leanings have been apparent from the start, with debut release Portraits of Forgotten Memories taking the form of a single thirty-nine minute suite in eight movements. As an entirely instrumental venture The Sublime continues where its predecessor left off, although the form of presentation is altered to consist of four tracks ranging from 2-20 minutes in duration. The tracks are titled in loose correspondence with Classical sonata form – 'The Exposition', 'Devolpment', 'Capitulation' – with the only exception being a short introductory piece entitled 'Gateway'. This choice of form and presentation invites further comparison to a convention established by early-seventies progressive rock artists, although it is arguable that, by enlisting specific Classical terminology, Sepia Dreamer are attempting to ally their product with the former and distance it from the latter. If any further evidence of this was required it can be found in the album’s title and direct source of inspiration, which needs a little clarifying as it is of insurmountable importance in any effort to appreciate it on its creator’s terms.
The sublime, in philosophy and literature, is a concept that has been traced back to the 1st century, first raising its head in a work on oratory rhetoric commonly attributed to Longinus. As a popular subject of serious philosophical debate it next gained ground in the 18th/19th centuries, with massive advances in the way we understand it made by Immanuel Kant, who famously compared and contrasted the sublime with the beautiful in order to distinguish between two different ways we assimilate and make sense of aesthetic experience. The sublime can be very difficult to understand for the newcomer to philosophy, being much more a process of abstract cognitive events than something that can readily be seen. In its most simplified form it is the vast terribleness of nature, which instils man with fear and horror once he has gained a little perspective on how feeble and powerless he really is. This is the understanding of the sublime that manifests itself in much visual art of the nineteenth-century , including the paintings of J.M.W Turner, one of which - Slavers throwing overboard the dead and dying – serves as a direct influence for Sepia Dreamer’s own musical exploration of the sublime. Fear, horror, all-powerful nature mercilessly asserting its authority on mortals – this may give you some idea of how the sublime has worked its way into popular imagination since the Nineteenth Century.
By opting to explore the sublime Sepia Dreamer are boldly inserting themselves into a tradition that has inspired many great works, in all artistic disciplines, over several centuries. This is a grand undertaking to say the least, but it is also the sort of risk that more bands need to take when it comes time to producing that make-or-break second album. Given that the aim of the album is clear, there is but one question – have Sepia Dreamer got it right?
'Gateway' is a typically atmospheric prelude built around layers of ethereal keyboards, over which a clean guitar picks a simple repeated motif. 'The Exposition' begins with a solitary, steady piano theme, to which successive textures are added before an epic eruption of volume at 1:36. Two heavily distorted guitars proceed to do battle over an irregular time signature, which is somewhat uncomfortable. At 7:01 the music halts and the initial piano theme is reasserted (a standard sonata-form procedure), though this time it is interrupted by heavier, menacing guitar work. Further evocations of epic scale are attempted until the final moments, at which point we are treated to a beautiful variation on the initial piano theme, and then finally, the initial piano theme itself. 'Development' is similarly varied in the moods it encompasses, though slightly heavier overall. 'Capitulation' is a shorter track (7:45 minutes) with a fantastically moody initial guitar idea.
Much thought and work has obviously gone into these ambitious compositions. This is first and foremost a progressive metal record that seeks to deliver emotional impact through the consideration of harmony, melody, texture, rhythm and form. On the whole this approach is very effective, although the synthetic orchestra sound somewhat prevents a sense of humanity from prevailing. As for its success as a conceptual record that purports to express the sublime…well, that wholeheartedly depends on the degree to which the individual listener throws their self into the record. This is one that will probably speak volumes to you when listened to in pitch-black solitary confinement.
Official Sepia Dreamer Myspace
Official Galactic Records Website
