Label: Kranky
Review by Alessandra Cognetta
Christina Vantzou is a composer, artist and video-maker from Brussels, Belgium. “No2” is her second album in collaboration with the Magik*Magik Orchestra and her music is described as “minimal ambient post-classical”. She composes all her music and, perhaps thanks to her background in visual arts, the result is a stunning, evocative work. The song titles are the only elements the listener has to infer any kind of meaning. This creates a sense of mystery and gives the listener an active role in interpreting the music. The ensemble of musicians has also been extended with the addition of bassoon and oboe, a much welcomed addition. It’s an album than delivers whether you listen passively, as is usually the case with atmospheric music, or attentively. Each song has its own identity and, under the surface, has a variety of emotions to convey.
Some of the most interesting pieces are the cinematic “Brain Frog”, the eerie “Sister”, and “Arp” with its melancholic strings. But the whole album is a journey worth embarking on. The magic of autodidact Christina Vantzou is definitely effective.
Review – 75/100
Tracklist
- Anna Mae
- Going Backwards to Recover That Which Was Left Behind
- Brain Fog
- Strange Symptoms
- Vancouver Island Quartet
- Sister
- VHS
- Arp
- Little Darlin’ Seize the Sun
- Vostok
- The Magic of the Autodidact