Tuesday, October 14, 2008

CANAAN - The Unsaid Words


CANAAN
The Unsaid Words
Aural Music
7.5/10





Morose ambiance fills up every last digit of “The Unsaid Words”, with Canaan portraying wizardry for manufacturing hauntingly depressive music that strictly identifies with drab, melancholy feelings. One of the most positive aspects of this group’s music is the percussive undertone that carries the group’s drifting, dream-state sounds with subtle accents and rolling polyrhythms.

These Italians also introduce plenty of dramatic emotion into their overall sound, utilizing instruments that are more readily associated with chamber music in order to craft a hybrid of classical and gothic tones, especially on the particularly glum yet nonetheless beautiful sounding “Sterile.”

Relying upon emotion as opposed to distortion for heaviness, Canaan indulge in transcendental sequences that should be recognized as being highly articulate from a musical standpoint. Those overjoyed by the darker nature of music will no doubt be intrigued by tracks such as the drifting “This World Of Mine” and the warm sounding “The Possible Nowheres.”

Four separate “fragments” provide listening continuity, bringing the album into perspective as a singular collective achievement. “Fragile” offers soft-toned melancholy in a moderately-tempoed structure, with reverb enhanced vocals further contributing to Canaan’s distant, forlorn ambiance.

Similar to Anathema and the more restrained works of a good many doom bands, “The Unsaid Words” gives an exceptional amount of perspective into a dismal yet beautiful style of music. It takes a lot of talent to make music like this work and fortunately, Canaan have the not only the ability, but the wherewithal to consider this album mandatory listening for fans of everything from Pink Floyd to Paradise Lost.


ERIN FOX © 2005 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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