AMG (All Music Guide) review:
"It's a distinctly odd place, Parallel Worlds, a
universe Bakis Sirros has been building up over a
series of intriguing albums. Obsessive Surrealism is
his Worlds' fourth, and once again we are invited into
the dark recesses, but of what and where precisely
The aural landscapes are not really dystopian,
although they're all far from anything one could
describe as pleasant.
One begins by walking into a world "Beneath Fear"
taking "Different Pathways" through the musical maze.
Both numbers induce a somewhat clammy feel, a
reflection perhaps of the cool dampness of this
underground world, or maybe just a primordial reactive
nervousness to the unknown.
In either case, it the numbers intended to heighten
this sense of disquietude, they certainly succeed. The
vistas are totally alien, the rhythms often
discomforting, the atmospheres quivering with a sense
of foreboding, the melody lines brooding at best,
gloomy at worse. Strange noises intrude from the
shadows, and there always seems to be something
skittering around busily in the darkest corners of the
pieces.
One imagines the many sci-fi plots involving humans
walking unnoticed through strange worlds, while all
around them exotic creatures scurry about performing
inexplicable tasks. The explorers' initial fear
gradually dampen, but never quite dissipate, as wonder
and curiosity arises in its stead.
Sirros is the master of this mood, his rhythms, often
slightly askew, keep listeners off-balance, his simple
melody lines are equally off center, teetering between
light and dark, increasing
one's sense of insecurity, while the gloomy
atmospheres heighten the tension. "Into the Caves of
the Mind", for instance, is a master work whose center
is totally askew, and "Increasing Complexity" shows
how it's done, as Sirros takes a simple, pretty
keyboard melody and slowly builds it sequential block
by block into a thoroughly haunting number.
The richer sounds of "Reflective" is like a distorted
infinity mirror, with a million lights looking into
darkness.
"Empty Human Cells" is more rhythmic in orientation
and thoroughly creepy in feel, while "Distracted", the
set's only compulsive, driving piece, is a manic ride
through the netherworld.
But for all its alien feeling, the track titles
suggest this bizarre world is not to be found in a
galaxy far, far away, but within the mind of a human
nearly as unknowable. A chilling adventure in every
sense of that word." Rating: (4.5 out of 5)
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a great Greek review of "Obsessive Surrealism" cd from
the webmag MIC:
for a few words on the cd, scroll down in this page:
www.mic.gr (reffering to the album as "...the most
exciting listening of this year...")
and the link with the extensive review:
http://www.mic.gr/cds.asp id=13378
it would require much time for me to traslate the
whole review in english, but the bottom line is that:
"this album is a point of reference for greek
electronica and also... one of the most important
albums (from a greek artist) of the current decade..."
review rating: 8.5 out of 10
best regards,
thank you :-)
Bakis.
Bakis Sirros - Parallel Worlds / Interconnected / Memory Geist
1 group owner
http://www.parallel-worlds-music.com
http://www.myspace.com/parallelworldsmusic
http://www.myspace.com/interconnectedmusic
http://www.myspace.com/memorygeist
http://www.DiN.org.uk
http://www.shimarecords.co.uk
http://www.rubber.gr
Athens-Greece
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