Alexandre Navarro - Arcane
[Sem Label]

Parisian imprint SEM Label impressed recently on debut outing The Green Kingdom, performed by Detroit-based musician Mike Cottone. The follow-up comes in the shape of, SEM co-founder, Alexandre Navarro’s ten-track 'Arcane' which, after years on the net-audio scene, is his first CD release. While Navarro sings from the same hymn sheet as Cottone, incorporating a fondness for lush, repetitive guitar textures, lingering found sounds and other soft nuances, 'Arcane' retains a distinctive edge that helps to separate each release, while staying true to the concepts of pastoral beauty founded upon SEM’s first issue.

Navarro’s particularly pleasing brand of guitar and bucolic field recordings collaging feels as fresh as a crisp summer morning. The invigorating, cascading tranquility of pieces such as 'Time', 'Bulles' and 'Eoilte' ripple with shimmering harmonics much like a reflection of a sunrise across a river bed. The synth-like textures on 'Primal', although seemingly constructed using heavily treated guitar, reminds of German synth- pioneers Tangerine Dream especially around their 'Rubycon' phase.

The title track, meanwhile, inspires imagery of nature, as Navarro weaves recordings of footsteps crunching through leafy field paths and landscapes strewn with freshwater streams, around a softly spun framework of gliding guitar. Both 'Awaken' and 'The Dawn', on the other hand, add depth and variety, with the former incorporating hisses of subtle static while the latter utilizes pulsing heartbeats to ensure 'Arcane' doesn’t stagnate for too long in the one area.

Like Cottone’s Green Kingdom project, Alexandre Navarro displays an articulate talent for transporting the listener on a journey. A journey that is left entirely open to interpretation. Navarro simply paints his colours on a blank canvas leaving it exposed for you to fill in the blanks and discover his world all on your own.

Arcane Tracklisting:

1. Time
2. Primal
3. Karma Debut
4. Eolite
5. Mystical Lane
6. Awaken
7. Flying in a Dream
8. The Dawn
9. Arcane
10. Bulles