A Licence to Interpret Dreams by Antonymes
LABEL: Hidden Shoal

Despite its ideologically abstract title, A Licence to Interpret Dreams by Welsh composer Antonymes may be one of the most clear-headed creations of the early 2011 musical year. Within its evocative minimalism lurks references to avant-garde classical music without being bogged down with ‘neo-classicalism’, as well as ambient aesthetics without ever washing the sound down in the layers so characteristic of the genre. Antonymes has created something different and true to a singular vision of carefully constructed melodies augmented with carefully chosen segments of silence, and proves the power of silence on this record.

The two primary instruments on Licence to Interpret Dreams are keys and, honestly, atmosphere. Sparse string and synthesizer arrangements pepper the mood of the album, and the entire work is one of a strikingly visual character. It surely stands as a soundtrack to the most surreal film to have never been made. As desolate as the production is on the album, it’s impossible to let go of the same way a really tight rock record is. Every piece of the whole seems meticulously crafted and elegantly executed, each subsequent listen revealing more depth to the listener. Even with his first album, Antonymes seems to be making the choices of a composer working on his third or fourth album. The music is focused, restrained, and perfect.

Where many records following in the contemporary classical, ambient, or musique concrete vein tend to stay within the confines of the brooding and darker sounds, Antonymes stirs the dynamic on the album up by throwing a few truly epic and optimistic moments in, particularly “The Door Towards the Dream,” where a bombastic horn section pulls the emotion into another realm entirely, without clashing with the rest of the songs. Antonymes is a burgeoning master of dynamics. His one misstep is the inclusion of rather melodramatic human speech during certain songs, which becomes as distracting as someone trying to grab your attention on the bus while your ear-phones are on. The music is so universal and abstractly emotional that having language over top seems to disrupt the entire unconscious beauty of the thing.

While not my favorite album (it’s been the same one since I was 14...), I have to say that the last track, “On Arrival At The Strange Museum,” is one of the most beautiful and haunting pieces of music I’ve ever heard in my life. It stands as an excellent closer to an album full of moments that could stand as paintings on my memory. It avoids outright sentimentality while still being fragile and instantly listenable. It will be a challenge for Antonymes to not only top this record but to evolve in other directions, but if he retains this same attention to quality and aesthetic selections, he may quickly rise on par with the most exciting modern composers.


REVIEWED BY NEIL LEVENS
NEIL’S FAVE TRACKS: “The Siren, Hopelessly Lost” • “The Womb of The Great Mother” • “On Arrival At The Strange Museum”

FREE MP3: “Endlessly” (right-click & save)

Antonymes - 'Endlessly' from Hidden Shoal Recordings on Vimeo.