Music has always been good at being entertaining and informative; in the hands of the best, it can even be great, within those roles. But there is a sonic plane of creative existence that sits beyond such mundane attractions. It is a world where music becomes something else, meditative, cinematic, relaxing, hypnotic, therapeutic. The music found in these rarefied climes can exfoliate the soul, heal, cleanse, and send the listener off with a newly acquired life-affirming outlook and a spring in their step.
It is a world built by standing on the shoulders of giants, giants like Tangerine Dream, The Enid, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Air. It is a world where we find Claude McCan a.k.a. Claude9.
His debut album, Chords of Love is a gorgeous electro-drifting suite of music. It is always better to talk about such albums in more overall terms. I think, as they are, by nature, holistic, to be listened to at length and considered in their entirety. That said, there are some interesting elements to consider, such as the opener, “Entrance,” a blend of Vangelisian ambience, gentle dance beats, and classical-eastern woodwind melodies.
There are the “Enigma-esque” funky grooves and spoken word/sampled voices of “Clouds So Low” and the dark, fractured minimalism of “Down to the Underground,” which again employs arabesque motifs to stunning effect.
But, Chords of Love is not, as I mentioned, really about individual tracks; it is about an experience, music to be absorbed by osmosis rather than merely listened to. Yes, some music is about being entertaining, and whilst the music found here is undoubtedly entertaining, when it comes to its higher purpose, such earthly and everyday concerns are just the tip of the iceberg.
Chords of Love album
Bandcamp
Clouds So Low
YouTube
Spotify
