Illuminine - #2 (2017) EN

The second album by the Belgian artist is already half a year old but I came across it just now as there was a live album released now. And it was a fine thing I did. Illuminine is Kevin Imbrechts' project, the artist started as a musician very keen on haunted drones and slowly evolved to finally become  a true neoclassical artist. But those ambient roots are clearly visible now.

The drone backgrounds are everywhere and they go together with, often, solitaire instruments. In this way, Imbrechts creates this intimate mood that feels like a warm evening on a porch. But he also talks about things that are sad, about nostalgia, about simplicity so it sounds more like a friend's confession. But you can hardly say the music is monotonous, in the end it involves such ways of conceiving music like electronic samples, strings (cello and violin), trumpet and horn. This variety makes my head ache but the ache is absolutely pleasant. Already in "Dear, Eulogy" we can hear the epic sound of the horn. But the most interesting part is that there is relatively not much of piano sounds and it finally emerges from the sea of background noises in "Be Wise, Take Care", it sounds like something extraordinary.

Illuminine's music is supposed to be both warm and cold. No wonder it was partially made in an Icelandic studio Sundlaugin. There are also guest vocals appearing, provided by Will Samson and Jan Swerts and they not only fit with the album's mood but even emphasize it with their fragility. Also: this beautiful cover art!.

"#2" costs 7 EUR.

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