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"Inspired by the poems of William Butler Yates, Nad Sylvan takes us with "Spiritus Mundi" in an enjoyable acoustic-symphonic universe that would not have disowned a certain Fish..."
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4/5
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After having evolved in the shadows for a long time, Nad Sylvan's solo career has been well launched since the release of his vampiric trilogy telling the story of The Vampirate and concluded in 2019 with an album (The Regal Bastard) that had not impressed the editors of Music Waves. For this fourth effort, we leave the more or less anguished cinematographic decorum, it is to the work of the poet and Nobel Prize winner William Butler Yates that the artist tackles, in close collaboration as much for the lyrics as for the music with Andrew Laitres who had already inspired the title 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree' on the previous album.
The opening of "Spiritus Mundi" is done with 'The Second Coming', a track taken from one of the most famous poems of Sir Yates, and that we will qualify as a rather unsophisticated appetizer musically speaking: the melody struggles to take off and to embark the listener with it, maybe also because of some kitschy keyboards sounds. Fortunately, 'Sailing to Byzantium' will immediately set the record straight, offering us music worthy of Fish's best. Of course, even if his voice is close to it, Nad Sylvan doesn't have the firepower of the bearded man, but the construction of this track and its progressive rise in rhythmic and power is really enjoyable. The instruments are added one after the other in multiple sound and melodic layers and the symphonic accompaniments with brass instruments will remind some good moments to the aficionados of Alan Parsons Project.
The following tracks continue in this vein, mixing acoustic and folk sounds, symphonic orchestrations and some electric sounds finally rather discreet, supported on the other hand by a bass whose name of the holders (Tony Levin and Jonas Reingold) is enough alone to describe its quality. The final proposed by 'The Fisherman' (simple coincidence or wink?) sums up in a very nice way this set of very enjoyable tracks.
A small parenthesis slightly shifted in the middle of the album, 'To an Isle in the Water' operates in a rather minimalist genre completely charming: a simple voice accompanied by a 12 strings guitar and some layers of keyboards, the whole in the service of a monochord melody illuminated by some passages in the highs and some choirs, sets up an atmosphere of nap in the sun, rather welcome.
Friend reader arrived at the end of this review, if Nad Sylvan's previous work was far from being unanimous within the editorial staff, we have to admit that "Spiritus Mundi" leaves, this time, a real taste of too little, because of its vinyl length of about forty minutes. Encouraging ! - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. The Second Coming - 7:00
 02. Sailing To Byzantium - 6:41
03. Cap and Bells - 4:47
04. The Realists - 2:18
05. The Stolen Child - 4:58
06. To An Isle In The Water - 4:36
07. The Hawk - 4:09
08. The Witch and The Mermaid - 1:57
09. The Fisherman - 5:28
10. You’ve Got To Find A Way - 5:55
11. To A Child Dancing In The Wind - 5:08
LINEUP:
Andrew Laitres: Chant
Kiwi Te Kanna: Hautbois, Flûte Chinoise
Nad Sylvan: Chant
Steve Piggot: Guitares
Jonas Reingold: Basse / Invité
Mirkko Demaio: Batterie / Invité
Steve Hackett: Guitares / Invité
Tony Levin: Basse / Invité
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(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
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(0) COMMENT(S)
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READERS
5/5 (1 view(s))
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STAFF:
4/5 (1 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH NAD SYLVAN
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