Treny

Michal Jacaszek's Treny is the seventh release from Norway's Miasmah label - a label that has already created a unique and distinctive identity for itself through a string of releases existing on the darker side of the musical spectrum - each artist shares a similar aesthetic and a penchant for introspective, lamenting, classically-influenced music. With this in mind, no better home comes to mind for Poland's Jacaszek. The opening track, 'Rytm To Niesmiertelnosc I' sets the dimly-lit scene perfectly. A beautifully-arranged string quartet and a lonesome female voice are framed with waves of distant underwater rumbles and creaks, with fragments of harp occasionally surfacing to release mournful motifs onto the dense musical canvas. Jacaszek so perfectly blends acoustic and electronic sounds, that it is hard to tell where tape loops end and forlorn violin melodies begin. By the beginning of the second piece, the appropriately titled 'Lament,' Jacaszek has already firmly established a sound for himself. Clearly influenced by the liturgical compositions of Henryk Gorecki and John Tavener, with a healthy pinch of Angelo Badalamenti's mood-setting soundscapes, Jacaszek manages to find his own niche somewhere between Murcof and Francois Tetaz's indispensable score for Wolf Creek - somewhere dark and mysterious, but ultimately beautifully rewarding and moving. There are traces of optimism in these songs, and as the album ends, the clouds turn from a heavy gray to an uplifting palette of autumnal shades, as a subtle rhythm emerges to gently guide the listener into lighter pastures. Despite the somewhat uplifting ending, as the last note strikes, you may find yourself wanting to turn back into the darkness and start the whole adventure again.