Bajamar

Manual | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 16, 2007)
• Original Release Date: July 16, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Darla
• ASIN: B000CCD0AI
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #556,770 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In the legion of dream guitar bands that includes Tristeza, Sigur Rós and Mono, Manual maintains a chillier, more classical European strain than his counterparts. He is Danish composer Jonas Munk, and for the last few years he's been putting out airy dreamscapes, culminating in the 2005 release Azure Vista. That CD was a masterpiece of slow-build guitar with haunting crescendos that drifted languidly between Arvo Pärt and Explosions in the Sky. Bajamar is something of a retreat for Manual, away from melody, quiet resolve, and cathartic release and into a world of unremitting tension and edgy discordances. Borrowing the delay and reverb strategies of the Cocteau Twins' Robin Guthrie, he's wed them to the guitar symphonies of Glen Branca. The three central tracks on the album--"Celebration," "Reminiscence," and "September Swell"--don't follow any dramatic arc over their 10-to-15-minute spans, but reside in a drone zone of clanging harmonics and back-sliding brakes hitting metal on metal. It isn't until the final "La Torche" that Manual gives up a fragmentary melody. There's much to be said for Munk's residency in the drone zone, but do we need another sonic Rothko when he has something different to offer? --John Diliberto

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Walking on a beach in winter, January 23, 2008

By 

R. D. Waters "rdwaters" (Newton, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bajamar (Audio CD)

Danish artist Jonas Munk creates a soundscape of cool, glacial sounds on this 2006 release. After the brief introductory opening, the next three pieces form the core of "Bajamar." Munk's manipulation of processed guitar and keyboard is suggestive of quiet reflection, but "Celebration" has assertive elements as well. "Reminiscence" is a more somber piece; Munk drops the heavy reverb used on "Celebration" in this softer, more ambient piece.

"September Swell," the longest piece at just over fifteen minutes, opens with a sparse, processed guitar. Munk introduces other sound elements as the composition progresses and the piece builds and builds. With only two minutes to go, he pulls a surprisingly quiet but moving finish. "La Torche" ends the recording with a warmer, organic sound. The guitars remind me of church bells in the first three minutes. And again, as with "September Swell," he chooses to wind down "La Torche" with a surprisingly soft finish that seems to just taper off, suggestive perhaps of the tide going out?

"Bajamar" would not be my choice to listen to on a daily basis, but there are certain times when its cool, slightly harsh tones would suit my mood completely, say for walking on a cool, windy beach in winter. I look forward with great anticipation to other works by Munk.