Ishq – And Awake

English / Polish version

Ishq - And Awake
    INTERCHILL RECORDS
    Ishq
    And Awake
    2011

      1. And Awake
      2. Diving Into Sun
      3. Leaf
      4. Mizu
      5. Skylike
      6. Blue Drop
      7. Kong
      8. A New Life
      9. And Awake (Return)

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Drawing silhouettes of artists is not my strongest point. In most cases I would rather not to know where they are from, why they create in order to interpret their music from the perspective of my own experiences and feelings accompanying the listening. I want that the only prism through which I would pass their music would be my own world of inner experiences. Is it the pathos? Selfishness? Maybe a little. But what else is providing some musical experiences to yourself, which is accompanied by a total closure to the outside world, than just the selfishness?

Since we have already established that I do not cope with the presentation of artists well, I will go straight to the heart of the matter, that is to a beautiful album, about which I want to tell you something. In the end, each of you has the access to google, and even Marion in a review of the album SAMA has approached somewhat the silhouette of Matt Hillier, standing behind a project called Ishq. I will use the standard regimen of describing the album piece by piece, because this journey with Ishq you have to do exactly that way. From the beginning to the end. From A to Z.

As soon as some sounds of AND AWAKE begin to flow from the speakers, the walls disappear. There is a huge space before me, behind me and around me. It is infinite. The ceiling departs, and above me a cloudless sky reigns. There is also no wind, which could interfere the reception of these pristine sounds. And although I would like to escape from the banal comparisons to a spring meadow, a bird whimper in the background brings just such an association. I do not move from the spot, because even if I took a step, I will stand anyway in a scale of infinity of this place. It is a really great feeling. You just want to sing…

Once we have escaped from our everyday clothes and we are in a temple of chillout, which is the indescribable and infinite space, we are subjected to some melting and relaxing treatments. DIVING INTO SUN is the journey towards relaxation which lasts eleven minutes. If we want to appreciate this track, we have to listen to it intently, other way there will be no use of the relaxation. LEAF is one of my favourite tracks and also it is one of the most lazy in the album. I just love the wet sounds. The sounds of the rivers. The splash. And everything which is associated with the water. I believe that nothing calms in such a way as a quiet murmur of a stream. In this track you can literally drown. MIZU is a bit like touching the petals. They are delicate and barely perceptible at your fingertips, but very pleasant. In the final part of the track again we find ourselves near the river, now it is faster than in the track called LEAF and the birds also chirp with a greater concern. If we had to compare this track with a time of a day, it definitely would be an evening promising the gloom. And just such a dark alternating with the anxiety brings the track called SKYLIKE. It sticks us in the armchair. The hair is raising. BLUE DROP brings a change of a climate, it is peaceful and idyllic again. The bird whimpers and the stream flows calmly. I also float! And when I swim and I swim so, along with the track KONG I tributary flow to the sea. The waves wash shells ashore, which I attach to the ear just to compare the sound coming out of them with the noise of the sea. But there is the song of the sirens charmed in the shells instead of the waves. It is wonderful. A NEW LIFE also brings to mind the smell of the sea and the deserted beach. Probably this is winter, because the cold, which the waves carry, is more penetrating. AND AWAKE (RETURN) is also much colder than the album opener AND AWAKE. The sounds are sharper, they cut the space like a scythe.

I recommend this album especially to those who want to turn off the thinking and devote some time to themselves after a hard week of work. Who want to focus on the relaxation, calm breathing and melting in sounds. This is not this kind of music to play on the occasion of housecleaning. Well, unless someone wants to clean up lying down, moving a cloth unconsciously.

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8 / 10
Beata Brzoza