A Journey Down The Well - How Little Can Be The Orchestra

A Journey Down The Well - How Little Can Be The Orchestra
Genre: Neo-Classical/Ambient
Rating: 4/10

A first for me this time as I'm reviewing an EP that was sent to me for the sole purpose of me reviewing it. The EP in question is the new effort by A Journey Down The Well a neo classical group that was originally made up of members split across two seperate countries. After completing two full length albums together the swedish section of the band left the project citing the difficulties in travelling back and forth leaving just the turkish duo to continue the project as an instrumental endeavor. This in itself is no mean feat when the bands classical nature centres around a diverse range of traditional string instruments. This is the reason behind the EP's aptly chosen title How Little Can Be The Orchestra.

The bands sound was previously very traditional with violins and cello's making up the majority of the scores whilst the band all provided almost choral group vocals over the top. With the vocals no longer in the mix and condensed down to a two piece there is definitely a notable difference in sound. The band also seem to have incorporated more contemporary elements with this new release mixing in samples of ambient recordings of traffic from quiet streets to overheard conversations in cafes. These ambient recordings work to the advantage in some areas of the record providing an extra dimension or tone to the sombre and quite introspective arrangements. The main flaw that stops this EP really standing out is the stiff competition it faces from its peers such as the Icelandic prodigy Olafur Arnalds and his label mates Peter Broderick and Nils Frahm. Whilst certain parts of the record are undeniably emotive in other areas the sound effects serve only to ruin the serenity of the track. The album closer "The Orchestra" for example whilst musically very sombre and affecting is somewhat brought down by  the constant barrage of what sounds like owls mewing and other misplaced noise. This isn't the case throughout the whole EP as opener "How" is a beautifully icy piece with poignant violin work and "Can Be" demonstrates a much more subtle use of samples which work well against the classical instruments at the bands disposal. Whilst most of the material on show here is quite impressive there is simply not enough to really get excited about. Whilst the music feels passionate the minimalist stylings and limitations of being a two part orchestra ensure that the listener is never taken to the limits of sorrow or joy and the whole thing seems to lack true value. In short the music, whilst adequately arranged and performed, fades into the background too much and makes very little impact when compared to other modern composers.

Overall whilst it was a bold and ambitious thing for A Journey Down The Well to attempt to continue as a two piece the results are somewhat tame. Whilst not particularly unpleasing on the ear the EP fails to engage the listener and as such memory of it soon fades. If you are interested in Neo-Classical music at all you could do a lot worse but you could do a lot better as well.

Download: "How" "Can Be"