Aranis Rock(s)

First off, let me begin by confessing that my knowledge of the so-called “Belgian chamber music scene” is non-existent. I’ve heard a few names being juggled here and there, but apart from Univers Zero there isn’t much more I know from this genre. So, for me to be here reviewing an album from a musical scene without the slightest understanding of what it’s all about, really is a stretch. But I will try to deliver plainly and honestly.

Alongside Swiss ensemble Les Reines Prochaines , ARANIS were by far the best new acquaintance I got from GAR2008. Like the “Reines” , they appeared at first completely out of place in a rock festival, with their display of very unrockish instruments like accordion, violin, flute and cello, and not an amp in sight. But that’s the beauty of prog – you don’t always need electric guitars and drums to rock.

Aranis’ energy is present from the first to the last track. Most songs follow a similar patern to the first song Kitano , with the violin and cello opening, the piano and acoustic guitar giving it a bit of rhythm, before the flute and the accordion become more prominent. There are, obviously, a few exceptions to this rule: the second track, Vala is mostly dominated by violin soloing with the remaining instruments in the background until the finale, when they all join forces to create a strong sonic atmosphere reminiscent of Carlos Gardel. Looking Glass reminds of a Manu Chao tune, especially the guitar playing, but that feeling is soon lost when the violin and accordion, followed by the piano and flute, enter. Another striking characteristic in the songs (although not on all song) is the apparent crescendo-like structure. The mood of the songs vary. Kitano , Looking Glass and Trog are vivid and energetic, almost funky. Gona , Walk in one’s sleep (why not just call it Sleepwalking?) and Moja (featuring some lovely guitar and accordion interplay), are more of gloomy yet pulsating kind (some even remind me of a Hitchcock soundtrack). Others appear more delicate and ballad-like - good examples of this would be Vala and Waris (featuring the only break from the sextet’s instrumentation, with the welcome introduction of a trumpet). On some songs you get all of these feelings on the same case, like on Turbulentie , Lovey-Dovey and Mythra . This last one is my favourite song in the entire album, beginning delicately, progressively (no pun intended) growing in intensity and featuring a dramatic yet exciting finale (for the song and album as a whole).

As I listened to this album and remember their concert, I could only regret not having purchased more of their albums when I had the chance. Short of handy cash, I had to pick this, in part because it featured most of the tracklist I had heard live. Plus, it had a naked lady on the cover, which is always a plus; and if you get to see them live, there will be several pretty and talented ones (alas, fully dressed) on stage.

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In two years’ time, not much has changed for this Antwerp sextet, beit musically-speaking, line-up-wise and even visually speaking, as the artwork on their second is almost the same as their first, if you’ll except that the male figures of the cover artwork became females, which for progheads is an improvement ;-)). So their typically Belgian chamber prog remained much the same, even if the group sounds tighter and the compositions even more fluid than on their debut. The songwriting is still completely dominated by Vanvinckenroye

Again the album is completely instrumental, full of “classical” instruments, taking roots in folk, classical and sometimes even from pre-classical music, the end result shows a special type of music that can only be called rock by its attitude, progressive by its foundation and construction, avant-prog for its place into our beloved Archives, and Chamber prog for its close kinship to other Belgian groups ranging from Univers Zero, DAAU, Cro Magnon, Julverne or even Finnegans Wake. The moods range from the festive (Vala or Gona) to the dramatic, see the gloomy ambiance of Waris, where X-Legged Sally’s Bart Maris makes a chilling appearance with his trumpet, to the fusion of Looking Glass. As said in other reviews, this writer is no fan of accordions, but Marjolein’s is mostly used as an ambiance (sometimes close to a harmonium, rather than a lead instrument. Trog is the only title not from the group, and proposes an almost dissonant soundscape that changes a bit from the rest of the album

In conclusion, Aranis’ second album is just as good as their debut, despite the absence of an epic track like Zilezi (that 15-mins corker from their debut), but here, their mastery of their musical subject has become an evidence.

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First album from this fairly new Flemish group (from Antwerp like their older brother DAAU) that seems to draw much inspiration from their country’s tradition of Chamber prog music. Their debut album was issued with the help of the Flemish culture ministry. Indeed a cross of Univers Zero, DAAU and Julverne, Aranis is a fully acoustic septet (with five missus in the line-up) that draws much on the classical period as well as the modern classical. All their music is written by contrabassist Joris Vanvinckenroye; mainly instrumental music, but when sung, it is by the only non-Belgian Jana Arns.

From the opening piano notes of Indrigo, soon accompanied by a bass and a shrill flute, the group gets into a solid groove, lead by Kennes’ piano to the closing sinister Wespengraf’s death throes, you’ll find yourself on familiar territory if familiar to Belgian avant-prog. Their music hesitates between folk (mainly induced by Cools’ accordion, reminding of Cro Magnon’s latest album) and repetitive hypnotic (sometimes even haunting) modern classical, not veering atonal, but nearing into the dissonant (Pantra & Labyrinth). Somehow their type of music is also reminding me of Quebec’s Mundi Domini. Leader Vanvinckenroye gets help from his brother Edwin on violin (and deeply imbedded vocals) in the album’s centrepiece, the stunning medieval-sounding 15-mins Zilezi, which dwarves many other songs on this album by its sheer sense of drama. Of the second part of the album, Labyrinth is the most interesting, partly because of its tension throughout the track’s duration, but the closer is also interesting with its doomy (UZ is not far away) atmosphere contrasting with the album’s more joyous start.

Typically in the fashion of the Belgian chamber prog, Aranis manages a splendid fusion of folk, modern classical with a twist or pre-classical, and they can logically be called DAAU’s little sister. As interesting as Artanis can sound, you might want to check out the other groups mentioned all through this review.

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