“Carlo Luzi is an Italian musician who started playing instrumental music around 1980. He founded the band “Terra della Sera” with Paolo de Gregori (Kaj Norrijus) and the project “SeraSidereA”, again with Paolo de Gregori and soprano Daniela Massi in 2008.
That same year, Carlo also started releasing music under the alias Acheloo (named after the god that represents the river from which all waters have originated), whose album “Sirens” is his debut.
The concept of the album is the Sirens, the daughters of Acheloo and the expression of dualism. They are associated to the pure idea of the limit, of the border, of the transition both physical and ritual. It expresses the transition of the radical metamorphosis, as well as the transition from adolescence to maturity or from life to death.
“Sirens” offers a nice blend of tranquil, softly glowing textural music, made out of velvet soundscapes and occasional female vocal textures, creating a sedate, dreamy atmosphere, to which a dose of spacy guitar is added now and then.
Darker shades are briefly rolling in on the second piece “Teles”, which also offers a slight sequence. Heavenly spheres are formed on the 12-minute title track as a nice cascading sequencing and serene voice pads fade in.
Repetitive e-guitar licks and a slow motion of wavering textures set out the course on “Raidne” to which a circling light sequence pattern is added.
My personal highlight is next, the 7-minute “Deianira”. An astonishing space track of flowing soundscapes taking you right up to heaven. “The Bride of Taar” features much more pronounced e-guitar maneuvering over the soundscape tapestry.
The closing track “Melody of Darka” is a guitar dominated atmospheric outing, overall less strong when compared to the previous cosmic pieces.
Although the music at a few occasions sounded slightly harsh, “Sirens” is a recommended ambient release for sure.
The recording is available as digital download from the AD Music webshop, but upon request, the label can also provide a cd-r copy with artwork for customers who prefer hard copy.
