"Realscapes would be the perfect addition to any musical experience" - Flicker
It's unusual, certainly, to be presented in the way that Eromnim3 seem to have presented themselves. Actively seeking out to create songs for video games, photography and film, Eromnim3 have made it their goal to create what they deem "soundscapes" for media outlets, as well as for "dreamers".
The band is made up of John P Boyle and Frank McDade. They have taken their music in highly unaccustomed directions with a project underway right now which is exploring the Middle East and North African uprising as a theme. Realscapes is produced by the band themselves and is advertised as music intertwined with conversations and African percussion. This highly progressive musical direction is atypical for many current sounds out there but seems to give Eromnim3 an edge right off the bat.
The first thing advised to me about this album is that it is best played in the dark. Highly unusual for the most normal album specification, but upon playing these tracks first time, you immediately see why. "The New Libyan" starts the album off with a dark edge, with a heavy focus on the bass line to achieve this. A heavy use of eclectic and non musical sounds throughout the first song alongside a subtle base around African percussion means that the album hits off with a remarkable unconventionality.
It's exactly this sound that tends to allow the album to fall away into the background and through the everyday sounds it speaks volumes emotionally. Using non-musical sounds, it speaks to a dark menacing nature primarily, keeping you right on the edge as the album progresses. Adding into that a percussive undertone that adds an almost gamelan feel to the records.
There's a lot of negative but mystical air to the tracks with only a slight focus on tuned instruments, mainly from the bass and the guitar riffs. With this in mind, you would be forgiven in a level of skepticism with regards to level that album could actually speak to you. Despite this, it is managed effectively, through the layers of musical and non musical sound build around each other to provide what can only be described as a listening experience.
With this in mind, it is worth noting that this album is not full of the kind of music you would be able to listen to easily on an mp3, perhaps en route to work. However, it is clear that was never Eromnim3's intention. In addition to darkness, the best way to enjoy this music would be as a movie soundtrack or in the backdrop of a photography art project. Its inherent sense of bringing out feelings would be ideal in addition to an emotionally charged scene.
The most unusual song of this album is "In the Realworld (A Conversation With Bernard). With conversations layered over drums and electronic sounds and motions, it signifies a great idea in theory but placed in among these songs its innovation is largely lost.
All in all, this is a collection of "soundscapes" that Eromnim3 have produced here are not part of the easy-listening category. However they push a boundary of music that takes them into a realm of their own. An electric, atonal, psychedelic burst of sounds and feelings, Realscapes would be the perfect addition to any musical experience.