The album opens with “Caraway,” which was released as a single in early June, and is the track that got me excited about this artist and this disc. Her violin gets things going, and after a few seconds the band joins her on the rhythm, on the piece’s main theme. But it is her work in the next section that I especially love, the way it seems to rise and fly above the streets, the world, with a romantic sense of freedom and delight. Wonderful work. Then Michael Davidson takes over, and his playing likewise has a light aspect, and contains joy. There are different sections to this piece, but there is a strong flow from one part to the next. There are even some brief moments toward the end that seem influenced by progressive rock. This is an interesting and exciting opening track. That’s followed by “Cosmos,” which has quite a different vibe from its opening moments, as it kind of sneaks in. This track too goes through different changes, slowing and having a sort of yearning, particularly in the violin work, as it reaches out. The music takes a delightfully peculiar turn a couple of minute in, as if we’ve gone through a door into an unexpected world. Things are darker, less cohesive, but the violin glides through this area and then passes into a more orderly place where it is again the deciding voice. But then, perhaps remembering some of that experience, the instrument decides to take us on its own ride through that stranger territory, which is wonderful. And I love that work on piano. But really, all the instruments here are like characters with something to add, something to say, something we enjoy hearing.
“Hanakotoba” begins with some excellent solo work on violin, and then, as the other musicians come in, takes on a dreamlike vibe, a magical feel, taking us to a place where there is no danger, where we are in communion with a great expanse of light and flowers and sky. The violin work here is beautiful, somehow making us feel lighter just by listening to it. Then we get the first of the album’s two tracks written by Michael Davidson, “Circa Herself,” which at times feels like a dance and other moments has a tension and some sense of hurry. There is an interesting vibraphone solo, which takes on an otherworldly feel just before the drums come in. This track also features some good work by João Frade on accordion. This track gets more and more interesting as it progresses. That’s followed by “Rose Du Ciel,” which has a sense of curiosity about it as it begins. There is something playful, youthful in its early moments, and then it grows more certain, more serious, taking us into its own territory.
“Aliens Are Pieces Of Wind” has a rather gentle, soothing feel about it as it begins, and features some beautiful violin work. I love the track’s title, and it is about a minute into the track that things start to get strange, that the track begins to feel that it deserves that odd title, where we find ourselves slipping into an alien world. Bits of this world move past us, different voices passing us, before one theme begins to dominate. And then suddenly we’re into a delightful space where the instruments begin to dance, featuring some wonderful stuff on guitar. At the end, this track returns to that gentle feel with which it began. Then “La Belle Et L’abeille” begins with a sense of magic with that solo work on vibraphone. The violin begins to fly from place to place, light, carefree, cheerful. But it might be that cool bass line that is most responsible for this track’s uplifting effect.
“Mesarthim” has a strange, dreamy sense as it begins, like angels existing in a science fiction realm. And soon we are wrapped in the wings, but are not really safe, for strange voices shoot past us, through us, and suddenly we are floating on our own in space, unable to communicate with whoever is around us. But then suddenly the violin’s soothing voice becomes prominent, and we hold onto that, and everything might just be all right. The violin is a voice that seems to come from a past that is never gone, that all the other voices recognize. There is wisdom there, and melancholy. That’s followed by “Starring Space,” the second track composed by Michael Davidson. Here there is a sense of bustle, of movement, of activity, but some joy rises from it, heard in the pretty violin work. Still, there is work to be done, and there is some tension, right up to the end. We then get the disc’s only cover, Charlie Parker’s “Segment.” This is an interesting rendition that partly takes place in another realm, with the bass working to keep us somewhat tethered or attached to our world. The arrangement is by Michael Davidson. The album then concludes with “Bientôt, We Will Collide,” the only track to feature vocals. Special guest Felicity Williams joins Aline Homzy on vocals, delivering some beautiful work. “We are looking down/From beyond the cloud/Spinning around and around.” This track also features some really nice work on violin.
CD Track List
- Caraway
- Cosmos
- Hanakotoba
- Circa Herself
- Rose Du Ciel
- Aliens Are Pieces Of Wind
- La Belle Et L’abeille
- Mesarthim
- Starring Space
- Segment
- Beintôt, We Will Collide
Eclipse is scheduled to be released on August 25, 2023.
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