NEW WORLDS

An album of peaceful orchestral progressive music, Karda Estra has created another magical journey. With so many intriguing ideas, I would have liked to have seen some of the pieces explored further. The music makes one feel lost, sometimes in a chilly forest, sometimes in a crowded city at twilight. Midway through, the album always becomes background music, even if the first half is enchanting. Karda Estra impresses me with their soft, appealing textures and compositional movements- a wonderful album for cold days.

'Chronoclasm I' Light washes of acoustic guitar and vocals contrast with melancholic oboe and dark bass.

'Transmissions' A slightly heavier piece due to the presence of electric guitar, the second track offers typically lovely and engaging music.

'Fifty Below Zero' Lively yet low, this third bit of music has beautiful female vocals with astute compositional twists.

'Eternity Station' Keeping the expressive, opiate nature of what has come before, Karda Estra adds gnarling electric guitar heaviness, juxtaposing that with fairy-like beauty.

'Girl in a Spaceship' Taking a jazzier countenance, 'Girl in a Spaceship' is akin to the bossa nova greatness of Antonio Carlos Jobim.

'Sea of Tranquility' This piece is more nebulous and lacks the captivating nature of the previous tracks- still, a nice tune.

'The Sky Below' The dream is interrupted here- something about this doesn't appeal to me. I'm not sure if it's the tones (which sound unnatural) or the lack of flow. A few brief sections are, as usual, exquisite, but as a whole, the piece lacks flair and cohesiveness.

'Radiance' This chord progression is not attractive to me, and I feel this track could have been better off without the minimalistic drumming. Admittedly, the album has begun to lose my attention at this point.

'The Doll's House' Languid piano leads into more airy melodies. The abrupt harpsichord section seems tacked on without reason.

'The Celestial Lounge' Using harsher guitar tones in the beginning, this piece suddenly becomes reliant on acoustic guitar and the usual wind instruments. The transitions remain difficult to follow. It reminds one of the folky side of Gentle Giant or Mike Oldfield.

'Invaders from Venus' The album returns to easygoing, upbeat jazz.

'Chronoclasm II' The final piece is a spacey conclusion.