Canaan
”Brand New Babylon” (14 tracks. 69:51).Italy’s Eibon Records have some very respectable releases . . . At the heart of this label is Mauro Berchi, who is also at the heart of this band. Canaan are a somewhat light Gothic band with a morose sound. Some parts of this disc, though, are more appropriately labeled “Darkwave” or “Dark Ambient”. Examples are, “Theta Division” and “For a Drowning Soul”. Darkly poetic, somewhat nihilistic, Canaan speaks to the private side of the listener. Above it all is Mauro’s baritone voice, crooning. My favorite is “In Un Cielo Di Pece”. I don’t know what that means, but it sounds good.
When you are alone and full of dark thoughts, feeling lost, feeling depressed—whatever—you can relate to Canaan’s music. Obviously we who listen to this kind of music are not so much the depressive kind as the contemplative kind. If we were, we’d all be dead and there would be no market for the music! While people in the mainstream may be afraid of this kind of music, I find that I feel more like a balanced human being listening to it. The music is rarely “hard” and the guitars are almost always clean. But the mood and structure of this music is of a nature that would please fans of Metal or Goth, or other forms of speculative music.
Caul
“Reliquary” (13 Tracks. 66:55).Whether to call this Darkwave or Ambient is a difficult decision for me to make. However, I can say this. Reliquary is not a commercial sounding disc. It is very solemn and quiet, though intense. It has very slow and urgent moving melodies gently layered atop some dreamy, ethereal landscapes. The music is probably best described by Brett Smith when he describes it as “spiritual”. Like "Awaiting The Dawn" from Flaming Fish Music, this disc makes for excellent music for devotion/prayer time or when you want a peaceful mood.
There are no lyrics on this disc but the song titles are quite suggestive. Particularly noticeable are two titles, which I believe are suggestive of the book of Revelation: “The Mystery of the Seven Stars,” and “The Spirit and the Bride.”
REVIEW COMING SOON