Zeena Parkins & Ikue Mori – Phantom Orchard

Mego is a label that releases a lot of music that can be called ‘experimental electronics’. This can range from subtle and minimal electronic compositions to full-out (and unsubtle) noise and sound collages.

This CD by Zeena Parkins and Ikue Mori therefore came as quite a surprise. First of all the music is not entirely electronic. Zena Parkins is a skilled multi-instrumentalist who plays various harps, piano, mellotron as well as various electronic instruments. Ikue Mori is an electronic experimentalist. Secondly, the music is very nice and subtle, and not in any way as shocking or undigestible as most Mego releases.

Zeena Parkins and Ikue Mori are well known for their releases on labels such as Sub Rosa and Tzadik. On this release they collaborated, and present and intriguing and exciting soundscape of manipulated ‘organic’ sounds and electronics.

The CD is in a way quite alien, it reminds me of some sort of psychedelic adventure while walking in a garden filled with strange musical plants and creatures. Perhaps this is because I associate the harp and the effects used with old movies and ear-plays of fairytales, or perhaps the slightly ‘jazzy’ feeling reminds me of some flashback scene of a David Lynch movie.

All in all this release is very refreshing and exciting, a certain tip to those who like highly aesthetic ‘difficult’ music.

artist: Parkins, Zeena
label: Mego
details: [mego 71]