Artist: Aura Merlin
Title: Moon Gates
Type: Album
Label: Digital / Dale Of Shadows
When this tape arrived in my latest survival package from Dale Of Shadows the name of Aura Merlin was one of the included which were unknown to me. The artwork on the cover though was very eye-catching indeed (by Lizbeth Pirier, Home – Ritual dust ) and seemed to work well with both the project name and the album so I was genuinely already intrigued by the time I came to listen to it…
‘The Moondial’ steps in with such grace you’re immediately certain you’re in safe hands indeed. The rhythm, the light percussion beats work really well to elevate the magical and mysterious feel of the synths. It really does beautifully paint moonlight dusting stone in some quiet and private place. An altar, a place of mediation, a place where the moon goddess might gently whisper to you if you come with a quiet spirit. It has delicate notes and strange, almost but not quite harsh or slightly raw edged synths here and there deep in the background which git it a lovely vibrancy.
‘Starlight On The Spiral Staircase’ is a cascade of frost like light upon those steps; twinkling notes and a silver swish of sound. A cascade of notes swirling and then the otherworldly sounds of the spheres, the celestial currents in sweet whistles…. a door opens, or closes.
No, opens. The scene shifts to the perfect scene. ‘The Owl And The Orrery’. The music is almost liquid. Deep. Moments of almost discordant melody and then the fluttering of notes and the slow turn of a mechanism. The planets align under a steady watchful gaze. Secrets unfold like the intricate layering of the synths; percussive, liquid, moonlight, aerial. A moment of trance.
‘Shapeshiftin’ has an intriguing gentle but chaotic style. Things bubble and fall and branch in unexpected directions. We go from introspective to the edges of epic and then back to jazz-like early hours memories. This is absolutely fascinating; it creates the need to listen and to try and follow the musical transformations but in the most gentle of ways. There is no force or demand here, simply the beauty of the shifting shapes.
‘Echo Location’ sounds, well, just like the title. The percussive sounds measure the space, the notes sent out in waves and return slightly altered. They overlap, overlay and sistance becomes known, the space becomes, slowly, defined. There is a strange but compelling suriosity to the music and. I realise this is in keeping with the album as a whole. This is not a learned study, an academic search… this is the spreading out of an inquisitive soul, opening themselves to whatever beauty they might find with no motive other than embracing it.
‘Strange Synthesis’ has a real synthwave feel to the opening soundscape; deep, rich bass sounds, spreading synths, full notes finding the melody as the beat picks up strength and guides it on. There is an interesting tension, I guess, between the organic fluidity of the notes and waves and the more mechanical beats but their fusion works so well.
‘Somatic Sight’ feels like floating in warm water, in darkness, somehow. The soft warmth holding you up as the darkness slowly begins to pick out pinpoints of light. Are they there outside you body or what is within, around your mind all along. A myriad of swift travellers scattered by the percussion as the waters simply drift. Trip hop shifting shuffling rhythm and smooth wafts of synths blend for a strange adventure within indeed.
A strange and wondrous night fades to catch ‘Dawn On The East Tower’. A crackle of fresh kindling on a fire? A languid sweep of piano notes, the steady knocking of maybe some hammer upon wood or the heavy tick of a clock, the pouring of that early moring draught of your most favourite of ritual draughts. Rich coffee? Gentle herbal tea? The feeling of relaxing back in your chair as the sounds of sunlight and small prids come and go. The world opens to you; a little changed from before the night just past, maybe a little more beautiful as the journey has allowed you to see the interconnections deeper than before.
It is a good day to wake to indeed…
I am so impressed with my first meeting with Aura Merlin. They combine fantasy synth, synthwave, ambient, prof and those exquisite touches of jazz and trip hop into a complex yet beautifully soothing experience. As you will have noted the word ‘gentle’ came to mind often but never conflate that with weak. This is the music of inner strength and vibrancy tht brings nothing but wild magic and beautiful colours to the world. Relax, open your mind and let your spirit explore; there is nothing but peace here.
Gizmo
LRDXN148 – Aura Merlin – Moon Gates | Aura Merlin | Dale Of Shadows
Walking The Liminal Space 