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Karda Estra - A Winter In Summertime

Artist:	Karda Estra
Title:	A Winter In Summertime
Label:	No Image NICD12
Length(s):	27 minutes
Year(s) of release:	1998
Month of review:	04/2000

Line up

Richard Wileman - classical, electric and bass guitars, keyboards, loops, samples and sound effects, acoustic drums and percussion
Ileesha Bailey - voices, recorder
with
Rachel Larkins - viola
Zoe King - flute, clarinet

Tracks

1)	...from A Deep Sleep	4.06
2)	Covert	4.06
3)	Second Sight	3.25
4)	The Excavation Site	3.05
5)	Transference	6.09
6)	Nightfall	3.41
7)	Fatal Flaw	2.51

Try a sample of the album in

Summary

Previously of Lives And Times, a band on SI Music I did not like very much, Richard Wileman released a mini album in 1998 under the name Karda Estra. In view of my thoughts on Lives And Times quite a courageous thing to do was to send it to me.

The music

However, the music on this mini album is more in the style of his instrumental pieces on the Live And Times albums and those were the pieces I liked. The music is for instance on the peaceful opener ...From A Deep Sleep has a strong, mysterious air to it, with a strong nod to modern composers of soundtracks. The music is melodic, but because of the effects and variety certainly not trite. Dark and moody, peaceful and ehtereal this something lovers of Dead Can Dance and maybe mid-period Cocteau Twins will like. Vocals (without words) are present, but they are not dominant. Covert is a track that has the slow moving ponderousness of some of the Portishead work. The piano work is percussive, althuogh the track does not lack in percussion of itself. The vocals of Ileesha Bailey lend the music again a certain haziness. The music is quite repetitive, but because of the use of acoustic guitars enough variation is brought in. Second Sight continues in the same way, with magical melodies and atmospheres. The Excavation Site is a darker piece and the following one, Transference, is, with its six minutes, the longest piece on the cd. The track opens with quite heavy percussion, after which the music becomes very still. The chorus, if I may call it such, has connections to world music. Here some people may think of Adiemus, but the music is more varied, with its long and high guitar lines. The vocal parts on this piece are not that much to my liking. Nightfall is the penultimate track. The opening is disjointed, a bit like many people singing in a church in a rather random fashion. Then the acoustic guitar takes over. It is quite a relief to hear something "ordinary" once in a while. The classicial guitar may remind some of Hackett and the music does have something of the atmosphere of the quieter parts on his Voyage Of The Acolyte. Fatal Flaw is the short closer of this mini album. Again quite classical and with strings.

Conclusion

Gothic soundtrack music of the good kind. The music is melodic, but not too, takes the middleway between Adiemus and Dead Can Dance, and sometimes even some Portishead. Ethereal and mysterious, at some times even biting and taking its time, the music on this album is well-structured with at times many layers of sound, constructing in this way strong compositions. It however remains to be seen how a full length album in this style works out.