I really don't know what to say about this album 'Written, Arranged,
Produced, Engineered & Conceived by Eric Alexandrakis' as the cover states.
He does not call his pieces songs, rather they are referred to as Treatments.
Some of the treatments are lovely songs; some are nothing but noise. The
first treatment is simply a shouted word - Hey! The second track is words,
some clear, some twisted and echoing. There is some instrumentation behind
the words, but I wouldn't call it a song. Treatment 4 is another puzzler,
the words, Take your vitamins please, repeated over and over. Treatment 5,
titled Ill, is an interesting song with electronic music flowing back and
forth from one speaker to the other.
One of the best treatments is number 6 - Thanatopsis. Alexandrakis has a
nice singing voice. Some times he is singing naturally, sometimes
electronically enhanced, and often he signs in harmony with himself. This
song has lovely acoustical guitar accompaniment, with electronics providing
some contrast and emphasis.
Alexandrakis shows great skill with his manipulation of sounds, layering
string bass, unidentifiable electronic sounds, piano, and percussion in
Treatment 9 - Beware the Ides of March.
Treatment 15 - Dreamgirl, has interesting harmony and instrumentation, but
it's ruined for me by being electronically 'fuzzed.' If the music were
allowed to come through clearly it would be a lovely song. The impression of
dreaming is enhanced by the distortion, though.
Another treatment that deserves mention just for its ingenuity is Treatment
18 - Smurd S'Niawag Ris. Read the title backwards, and then listen to the
music play backwards.
Treatment 21 - Spaceport Cabaret shines out in the midst of the rest of these
tracks. It captures perfectly the idea that music in another galaxy may not
be just like ours, but it is still music. There is slight impression of
alien voices, the music echoes as in a deep underground chamber, the sounds
flow from one side to the other and evoke a vision of tall, stately alien
beings dancing dances that dazzle the eyes.
The last treatment pretty much spoils the effect of Spaceport Cabaret.
Titled Fin, it is just a collection of voices and laughter, none of it making
sense.
If Alexandrakis were to continue with music that is hauntingly beautiful like
his Treatment 3 - The Bells of Irony, and Treatment 21 - Spaceport Cabaret, I
would continue to acquire his music. However, most of his work just grates
on my nerves. If you were a person who likes something different - something
that isn't necessarily music - then this CD would be for you.
