Tripping down memory lane
A composer of prodigious talent and impressive musical inventiveness, Nehoryn offers a "retrospective" of his earlier compositions in a 12-track collection by the eloquent title of Memory's Garden. It is always exciting to observe how an artist's work has evolved with time, what elements and influences determined its development, which of them were left behind for good and which were the crucial ones to remain and mature into something even richer and more accomplished.
The first landmark revisited is the haunted and at the same time enchanted garden of childhood: the fragile, often nightmarish world of a child's imagination is mirrored in the movingly simple and sweet melody of Kid's Dream, dexterously spiked with distortion effects; perhaps by idea association, the very next track is one entitled I Will Protect You - its warped and broken, gasping "phrases" at the start give way to a sumptuous melody, with the synth sounding (maybe in deliberate irony) like a church organ.
Lost Symphony is a dreamy and evocative composition that features a line of synths meandering against a consistent piano motif, while in Les Papillons de l'Ombre the elegant pizzicato of strings versus the more robust staccato synths conjures up a dainty butterfly ballet on a somewhat frightening dark background, blooming into a torrent of vibrant musical colours and fading into ghostly gossamer wind-chimes. The pure, almost "icy" beauty of the sound in I Miss You slowly reveals the depth and bittersweetness of longing - this same frozen purity becomes almost palpable in White Garden, where the ominous overtones at the beginning evoke a magnificent winter landscape probably harbouring secret dangers.
The delicate, scintillating spiccato of Le Chant des Lucioles is followed by the symphonic plushness of Athena's Sanctuary, which could perfectly have been the soundtrack of en epic film or video game. The luxurious melodiousness of From Elsewhere opens the heart and mind to endless spaces; heroic and emotional, but never resorting to easy pompousness or sentimentality, Breaking My Chains sets out on a faltering, slow-moving rhythm that suggests the crippling weight of the bonds, progressing into a hair-raising crescendo until the moment of liberation and the gradual, agonised exit into the light - when a caged bird is set free, it must re-learn how to stretch its numbed wings. La Fille des Etoiles, a splendid composition that could have been a nostalgic hymn to some departed alien princess, comes to briefly brighten the atmosphere before it becomes impregnated by the solemn, lingering melancholy of Spleen, rendered in lusciously layered strings and effects.
Both trippy and intellectually stimulating, Nehoryn's music has the rare quality of making the most of its inherently contrasting attributes, resulting in a supremely characteristic style that remains unique and identifiable through all phases of its evolution, yet never giving up on its own most important asset - versatility. Even when it seems to be following regular patterns or melodic lines, it always has in stock that thrilling hint of unpredictability which keeps the listener riveted.
Another, even more comprehensive album in this vein and by the same artist is GeneSysTory, the latest generous collection of Nehoryn's always inspired and superbly varied music.
NOTE: This album is no longer available on Jamendo, but may still be freely downloadable from The Jamendo Albums Collection @ Archive.org.
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