A WINTER IN SUMMERTIME

For my first experience with Karda Estra I thought I would offer some comments on the first title which hasn't been written on yet. KE is the musical child of Richard Wileman, a British composer and multi-instrumentalist who plays all guitars and keyboards here along with effects and drums. He is joined by Ileesha Bailey, Rachel Larkins, and Zoe King on vocals, viola, and flute/clarinet respectively. He is a big time music fan who prefers the control and the buzz of recording music over playing live, telling the Borderland's Musicwatch "I find the whole writing and recording process very inspirational. I must have recorded getting on for 200 tracks over the years, but the buzz is always with me when it's time for something new. Each track always feels like a fresh start. I've played a fair few gigs all over the country through the years, but it doesn't have the same appeal. In many ways, it can be more extreme - because of adrenaline etc. it can be very thrilling or really horrible - obviously depends on my own performance, audience reaction etc. I feel I shine more in the studio, whilst live I'm doing my best to try and give an approximation of what it should sound like. As time goes on, I definitely feel more of a writer than a performer. That being said, however, it really is a great buzz when a gig goes well." [Richard Wileman, to www.the-borderland.co.uk]

"from a deep sleep" begins with a collage of strange sounds, odd noises like the cobwebs of dreams, soon joined by a pulsing voice. Right away the style reminded me of Industrial music, with looping machine-like noises although the sounds you hear will be more pleasant and not obnoxious. So much is happening at once it is very difficult to do a play by play here but it's wonderful stuff. Dreamy blends of keyboards, vocal bursts, effects, and atmosphere to the rafters. And a bell ringing somewhere in the dark. "covert" features a rhythm that instantly brought Portishead to mind. Slick and tasty with Ileesha's vocal above the beat and a big fat, mellow bass line intermittently. Before the abrupt ending is a nice bit of classical guitar. "second sight" is another masterful layering of synths, vocal, viola, acoustic, and bass with a floating new age sound. "the excavation site" is a constant building of unease and dread, Bailey's vocal used to provide some lightness against the music. "transference" begins with some jolting percussion that, after some of the mellower passages, feels like being thrown through a plate glass window. Much of the track follows a rhythm track with a mellow vocal. Richard peels off a nice electric guitar lead on this one. This is the longest track and feels the most developed in the traditional sense with fairly constant rhythms, vocals, and an instrumental solo, though such development is not necessary or even preferred with this type of music. Most of the album is quite open to untraditional structures. "nightfall" has a creepy vibe with more of Bailey's vocal over some nice acoustic guitar and synth. "fatal flaw" as the title suggests has a constricting, ominous tone. As with the whole disc the arrangements are handled with great care as one soundscape appears in front of you, dissolves, and you await the next with anticipation. The album ends as it began with the strange effects and vocal pulses.

Wileman appears to enjoy couching some dark and mysterious themes in music that is aesthetically lovely rather than harsh or campy, thus creating a very nice contrast. The music is thought-provoking but can be enjoyed either as a relaxing background thing or as active-listening fare, paying bigger dividends to those giving it their full attention. It is a very short album (at 27 mins) which may be off-putting to those used to getting 75 minutes when they buy a CD (and some say size doesn't matter.) But for those looking for a good introduction to Mr. Wileman and his cohorts in Karda Estra, you won't go wrong here. Although I'm guessing that some of his full-length releases in the years since are probably more fully realized than this first release, I do recommend this mysterious little gem without hesitation. 3 ½ stars.

Share this KARDA ESTRA review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Finnforest
• Report this review (#158283)
• Buy KARDA ESTRA music online with PA partners
• Show all KARDA ESTRA MP3/Stream
• Go to KARDA ESTRA page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to A Winter In Summertime page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for KARDA ESTRA related discussions