Label : Nettwerk Music Group
Review by Luisa Mercier
I know a lot of people that thought that Delerium had split up. Well, this record is here to prove that it is not true, even though six years since last record “Nuages du Monde” are a lot of time. “Music Box Opera” is a long-awaited album that has been a bit hit and miss for me. Let’s try to see why. First track “Consciousness of Love” is a sweet, delicate piano and electronica track featuring Stef Lang, a promising Canadian singer songwriter. The chorus is catchy and groove while the verses are more piano-based. Lovely song. Following, you will find the already known single “Monarch”, an Eastern flavored melody sung by Nadina, Canadian singer of Lebanese origins. It is a dark, fascinating song, even though I am not totally sold. “Days Turn into Nights” features a male vocalist, Michael Logen. Song is classic atmospheric Delerium tune, but I confess that I don’t like very much male voiced in this genre of music. “Chrysalis Heart” is maybe my least favourite. It is good, poppier and faster than the others, but I find it a bit dull, cheesy. Again Stef Lang is on vocals and those are the best part of the song. One of the highlights of the record is “Light Your Light”, sung by Jaël of Lunik. The song has the mystical feeling that lacks in the others, thanks to choirs in the background and beautiful uplifting vocals in the chorus. The work of Jael has been impressive and really expressive. “Rain Down” is a simple, beautiful instrumental that sets apart the first half of the album from the second. Piano and electronica-based, it has the same dreamy, chilling mood that you find in the rest of the songs. Maybe something that lacks in “Music Box Opera” is a bit of variety in tempos that range from slow to mid-tempo. Most beautiful song is “The Sky” thanks especially to the amazing Kristy Thirsk, one of the most famous and loved Delerium voices. She sets the atmosphere being sweet, whispering or soaring. “Hammer” featuring British singer songwriter Leona Naess is darker and more industrial oriented. In general, it has a heavier kind of electronica, maybe to support Leona‘s vocals that are less ethereal compared to the other singers. I like the track, it has a sexy vibe that I was missing. “Awakening” is another dark, groovy, Eastern sounding song in which Nadina sings some vocalisings. Since it is quite long, it might result boring on the long-term. Anna-Lynne Williams sings in “Frostbite” that is a heavenly, dreamy song, slow and lush. Typical Delerium, with layered vocals and thick electronica. Azure Ray is one of my most recent discoveries in dream-pop and it was good to find them collaborating with Delerium. “Keyless Door” is a nice, sweeping ballad that ranks among the best songs with Jael and Kristy Thirsk one. Closing track is instrumental “Music Box Opera”. Epic, relaxing and modern sounding at the same time, it is the perfect conclusion for a record that might have been better, but has outstanding moments.
Rating – 75/100
Tracklist
- Consciousness Of Love (feat. Stef Lang)
- Monarch (feat. Nadina)
- Days Turn Into Nights (feat. Michael Logen)
- Chrysalis Heart (feat. Stef Lang)
- Light Your Light (feat. Jaël)
- Rain Down
- The Sky (feat. Kristy Thirsk)
- Hammer (feat. Leona Naess)
- Awakening (feat. Nadina)
- Frostbite (feat. Anna-Lynne Williams)
- Music Opera Box
Line Up
- Bill Leeb – Founder, Writer & producer
- Michael Balch – Co-founder, Co-writer & co-producer
- Rhys Fulber – Co-writer, co-producer
- Chris Peterson – Co-producer
- Stef Lang – Vocals
- Nadina – Vocals
- Michael Logen – Vocals
- Jaël – Vocals
- Kristy Thirsk – Vocals
- Leona Naess – Vocals
- Anna-Lynne Williams – Vocals
- Azure Ray – Vocals
Links