Customer Reviews

Le Serpent Blanc - Le Serpent Rouge

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mika Goedrijk's This Morn' Omina finally nailed the tribal influenced industrial sub-genre with this two disc album, and I honestly have used this album to introduce people to this style of music.

The second disc is easier to describe (and is listed as tracks 9 - 20 above), as it is a concept piece telling the story of each of the thirteen signs of the zodiac. Yes, I said thirteen signs, and Mika is correct to point out that the sun obscures thirteen (not just twelve) different astrological constellations through the zodiac band. In fact, both albums are named after the hidden zodiac sign "ophiuchus", which is the constellation of the snake handler (hence the serpent) who was known to cure and cause death (white and red). In any event, though this second disk has a short run time (around 40 minutes), Mika has done an amazing job bringing the common conceptions of the zodiac signs to life via sound. For example, Leo comes across as proud and straight forward, Libra is measured and cautious, Sagittarius feels as though it is racing in a celestial hunt, etc.

However, the first disc is among one of my favorite CDs. Though there are only eight tracks, this disc is over an hour long. The third track, "(the) ninth key", stands out as the perfect example of what industrial music is about. It starts off with a rather slow and ritualistic feel, then to a more ambitious and recognizable modern beat structure and minimal hypnotic voice-overs. This particular track has become something of a regular amongst many industrial DJs sets. The next track, "Taliesin" features some amazing drum work and illustrates the diversity of sound that le serpent blanc features. I must admit that I grin every time I listen to the fifth track, "the immutable sphere", because of its use of the famous line "Klaatu barada nikto" from the 1950s film "The Day the Earth Stood Still".

Star Trek fans will also recognize Mr. Spock's famous quote, "Infinite diversity in infinite combinations, symbolizing the elements that create truth and beauty", in the track "Suneater". In fact, I'd argue that this one sample actually summarizes the entire album. Le serpent blanc, le serpent rouge is designed to blend a diverse variety of styles of music into a single collection and does so well. Even if you are not a fan of industrial or ambient music, I think you'll enjoy this CD.

Yeah, so the title sounds like a Dr. Seuss book...

This album is the first I heard from This Morn' Omina. A friend thought I would enjoy the snake-ish theme. I want to say that enjoy is an understatement.

The first half, Le Serpent Blanc, hits hard with tribal-sounding street techno, and has managed to perfectly mesh solid beats with etherial music...

The second, Le Serpent Rouge, follows up with a barrage of smaller tracks with a Zodiac theme, as well as a very cool video!

As I said, this album was my first experience with This Morn' Omina. I guarantee it won't be my last.

I first learned of this group after buying Six Ways From Sunday by Pow[d]er Pussy. That CD is a fantastic & super-charged Sci-Fi disc of edgy club music, and it's a collaboration between This Morn Omina and Ah Cama-Sotz. Which brings me to THIS 2xCD, which completely shifts gears.

Of the two discs, my favorite would have to be Le Serpent Rouge. It's a very precise and sensual affair, stuffed full of Middle Eastern percussive influence that's presented in a stripped back, atmospheric, electronic, and vaguely industrial sort of way. It's a laid-back sort of disc for laid back sorts of things. It's what a modern art troupe might belly dance to. It's what a modern vampire might have sex to. It's what you might hear if you awoke one morning from that vampire's trance, well-satisfied and covered in the diffuse light of the morning Sun.

On the other hand, Le Serpent Blanc is far more uptempo. Some of its tracks are tribal club music, but they're far too cool to appear in most clubs. Others are a bit crunchier, and don't have the 4/4 beats. All in all it's a good disc and a bit more uptempo than the Rouge disc, but it's overall mood doesn't make it a dance release. This disc offers tantalizing hints of the Pow[d]er Pussy side-project, but it's really a different ball of wax.

And did I mention that the artwork is really cool, and the bonus video on disc 2 is... nothing special but I guess you could look at it as a peek into an apparently good live show.

I can't remember how I stumbled upon this album, but a review describing it as tribal industrial really got my attention. I'm a big fan of industrial artists like Frontline Assembly and Blue Stahli, and groups with a more tribal flair like Juno Reactor. I decided to give it a go and I'm so glad I did. I'm a sucker for a good bass line and this album has a great diversity of rockin beats. That being said, I do think you need to be a fan of this type of music in general to really enjoy the album.