We all feel it, this ache, this tiredness, this constant bad weather of the soul, but how do we express that in a way that is not full of angst or self pity, or even resigned acceptance? In a way, that hope, and sensuality, and even joy counterpoints the seemingly never-ending ennui? With their latest release Pinhdar take on this task with resolve, the tightest of focus and capture the Dreaming, distorting, distilling it into song form.

In this set the interplay between shadow and mischievous light bring relief, deviance and daring, setting out to soothe and bedazzle, bewitch and bewilder, the kind of collection that, when you reach the last second of the last song, you start all over again without a thought, the totally natural thing, the only thing to do really.

Images of deserted streets, swept clean by thoughtless rain are superimposed over lush moonlight nature, voices whisper at us, to escape here, and we cannot be sure whether these are wry witches or fleeting fairy folk, but we dive in deeper, dismissing the possible dangers as the tunes roll around us, wrap around us.

I am a huge fan of Max Tarenzi’s subtle production, every note and instrument mixed ‘just so.’ The true art of the swirl, the incremental build up, you know how you feel in an airplane, at that point of just about falling asleep, when the hum of the engines have completely taken over your world? This is what Tarenzi manages to do.

Then there is Cecilia Miradoli, who navigates the strange wondrous paths between elegant detachment, childlike empathy, and an ancient knowledge of flexible magic and that sultry command of the in-between world of the dark-wave disco.

Intricate and entrancing, this album is a revelation.

Listen to this and buy it on Spotify and Bandcamp
https://pinhdar.bandcamp.com/album/a-sparkle-on-the-dark-water