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 | Delerium:Semantic Spaces (Warp Music/EMI Music - 1995) I like it! Yes, it contains some rather blatant Enigma impersonations and two Madonna-like vocal tracks... but overall it's very well done. This is the Delerium release that had fans crying "sellout!". I think it stands quite well on its own though. |
| Delerium is one of the several musical incarnations of Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber; in various modes, they are also known as Front Line Assembly, Noise Unit, and Synaesthesia, among other project names. My personal opinion is that these guys, known for their very liberal "borrowing" of samples and styles, are more artful mixing room geniuses than "artists". This is not a bad thing either; their compositions are literally fantastic constructions of sound. The 72-minute CD's first track, Flowers Become Screens fades in with a long drone overlaid with female whispers. Kristy Thirsk's vocal delivery, initially begins as an "alternative" sounding angst-mumble but soon breaks out in a louder, clearer Madonna-like style. At first, this development scared me... but I've learned to live with it. It's not that bad, and the rest of the CD makes up for it. Metaphor begins as clouds of sound, clearing into a drone that is soon overridden by a pygmy choir, then a drumbeat and the Enigmatic Monk choir. Much of Delerium 's work is like this; layers and layers of ever-changing sounds, samples and delicious percussion effects. The mix is generally very deep, and very interestingly constructed. Resurrection is carried along by a choral (middle-eastern, not monastic) chant, an animated rhythm, synthetic flutes (again middle-eastern-ish) and a simple keyboard riff, among the legion of other sounds and effects that appear. An active, funky bassline propels Incantation , the other song with actual lead vocals. It seems much more "dance/pop" than "ambient/techno" (I suppose this is the type of thing that evidences "sellout"). The Monks are here a bit, too. Space reggae, anyone? A haunted synth and bass orchestration open Consensual Worlds which is later joined by a male reggae-style vocal track and keyboarding. As usual with Leebs and Fulber, there are many layers of sound and the track is typically lengthy, over 10 minutes. Metamorphosis begins with long, twinkling synth tones and quietly echoing percussion, soon joined by a bassline, background vocals, synth-flute and a burbling dervish of a synth rhythm. After 8 minutes, in come the Monks, and we segue into... Flatlands . It sounds like Enigma, doesn't it? And that's not necessarily a bad thing (If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Michael Cretu should be quite sincerely flattered). I like it, though, for the same reasons I like Enigma 's work... that smooth beat, the layers of synth and female vocal that all work so well with the monk chant. Back to outer space, or is it some strange inner space? You decide. Sensorium 's washes and waves of synthesizer tones and various female vocals/chants create a sparkling celestial atmosphere. The CD's longest track at over 12 minutes. It ends with the quiet sounds of a dulcimer and blends seamlessly into... Gateway, the closing track. It winds up the whole affair with layers of tribal rhythms, synthesizer and a wailing vocal in the mix. |
| If this is some watered-down, "pop"ped-up sellout material, I can't wait to check out Delerium's earlier works! There are definitely some signs of catering to the pop masses, but Semantic Spaces contains more than enough of Leeb's and Fulber's musical mixing magic to compensate. I recommend it with one hearty thumb up! |  |
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