Marko Marin: Heijastu, katoa ja ole valmiina

lvcdr001
cd-r, limited edition of 100
36:14
October 2005
 
Molemmat vanhukset Osa 1 (1:34)
Joulukuun ensimmäiset päivät (4:19)
Saapuneen postin laatikosta (6:07)
Persoonallisuuksiemme sadetakit (2:44)
Kaikki jotka pimeää hengittävät (7:12)
Auringon holhouksesta vapautuneet (3:59)
Molemmat vanhukset Osa 2 (3:24)

Composed and arranged by Marko Marin
Produced by Jaakob Karhu
Photos by Kaarina Luova
Thanks to Taavi
Recorded in 2004 ja 2005 in Vilppula

Electronic soundscapes with strong ambience. Inspired by Tangerine Dream, Mike Oldfield, Vangelis and modern soundtrack music. Marko Marin is known for his scores for some of the recent Trash Video movies, and his music has been played in Finnish Avaruusromua radio show.

*************

"Reflect, disappear and be ready. Letters From The Mailbox. Every name on this release are giving away parts from a certain story, but I won't tell you the complete version. I don't know the details myself and I also think it's always better that the listeners form their own opinions about the music.

Originally the story came up during the summer of 2004. After that, it slipped from my mind. About three weeks ago we noticed that I have enough tracks for a possible release. We chose the best tracks and decided the final look of the release. There was enough material for me to choose and even the budget was already calculated, so that was fairly easy and it only took two days.

So now the job is done. Hopefully the cd is in a safe place and not as a coaster or laying in a trash can." (Marko Marin / Saturday, August 13th 2005)

*************

"Heijastu katoa, ja ole valmiina. Molemmat vanhukset. Saapuneen postin laatikosta. Levyn sekä kappaleiden nimet viittaavat tiettyyn kehystarinaan, mutta tarkka kuvaus siitä jääköön hämärän peittoon. En itsekään tiedä sitä yksityiskohtaisesti ja on aina parempi, että kuulija muodostaa oman käsityksensä asiasta.

Alkuperäinen idea syntyi kesäkuussa 2004, jonka jälkeen se unohtui lähes kokonaan. Muutama viikko sitten huomasimme, että kappaleita olisi tarpeeksi mahdollista levyjulkaisua varten. Materiaalin valinnassa ja julkaisun lopullisessa muotoilussa kului aikaa noin kaksi päivää. Kuvia löytyi paljon ja pakkauksen tyyli oli jo tarkasti mietitty kustannuksia unohtamatta.

Nyt urakka on siis ohi ja toivon mukaan levy on turvallisessa paikassa, eikä esimerkiksi toimi lasinalusena tai loju roskakorissa." (Marko Marin / lauantai 13.08.2005)

REVIEWS

"This is an excellent exercise in the art of making synth based soundtrack music circa 1985. As I listened to "Heijastu…", I kept making references to, among others, Vangelis, Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream, & Mike Oldfield... there is a lot of hero worship here.

"While Marin's compositions don't move me in the least (though I suspect it many of the Foxy readers might become closet fans) I have to respect the massive amount of talent it takes to create an album like this. That said, I was highly skeptical of this disc being the work of Marin and him alone. Solo instrumental efforts too often take a turn for the worst and become highly indulgent and grossly self-gratifying. When no checks and balances are in place, the urge to create can grab any project and warp it in to a stinking pile of Rick Wakefield. Of course "Heijastu…" is an indulgent piece of work, as many prog/synth/soundtrack albums are, but in a way that embraces the symbiotic relationship of cinematic imagery and evocative sound rather than wallowing in its own importance. Each of the seven tracks reaches for and affects a different emotional center. Each does in achieving the goal of creating an engaging sense of drama throughout the entire disc. Whether it was the intention or not, it is very easy to block out an entire scene using any of these songs. Image after image present themselves effortlessly as each scene is set for action. Ultimately it is the true relevance of Marin's compositions as well as the lack of irony, cheese, and to a lesser extent, pretension that makes this disc a refreshing listen. Whether you want to praise or pan the genre itself, you have to give credit to the passion and performance he lays of the line." (Chris Jacques / Foxy Digitalis)

 

*

 

"– – Up next is Marko Marin, with the 2005 release 'Heijastu, Katoa Ja Ole Valmina,' on the Luovaja microlabel. This is a rather strange electronic disc, playful at times, kind of an odd blend between a Phillip Glass side project and the lighter side of Brian Eno’s outings with Jon Hassell. – –" (DaveX / Stratling Moniker)

*

"Marko Marin’s music is rooted firmly in the atmospheric electronic tradition of artists like Vangelis and this release offers an emotive string of compositions, each woven from batteries of synth. Canned percussion, canned piano, canned strings. It’s a marvel how such artificial raw material can be woven into honest and evocative music.

"Now I have to admit, this is one of those releases that challenged me to confront my own prejudices. In general I have a strong distaste for electronic music when its production renders the proceedings blatantly artificial, or ‘plastic’ as I like to say.

"A simple example – no synth piano will ever have the rich under and over tones of a true piano, and I don’t understand why, in general, anyone bothers with the substitute. I personally feel that if you don’t have access to the real thing then better not to betray your musical vision with a cheap electronic substitute.

"You can imagine that at first I therefore resisted the impossibly clean, metronomic execution of this album; the whole damn thing screams MIDI from every pore. Yet repeated lessons broke down my resistance and I have to admit – if this album had used real instruments it would have lost a lot of its charm.

"The pieces are melodic to a fault and the music has a very vocal quality, with the various synthetic instruments almost singing, albeit wordlessly. That’s a remarkable feat at the best of times, but especially for music with this aesthetic. Ironically I really like the synth piano and think it works better with these compositions than a real piano would have!

"The music also serves well in the atmosphere department, though I must say its spirit is generally quite light and even optimistic. It does range through a number of emotional palettes, but this release is neither gloomy nor melodramatic. I would guess that were he a classical composer, Marin would take after Mozart more readily than he would Mahler.

"My only substantial complaint is about the programmed percussion, which is particularly flagrant in its artificiality. I must admit this is one area where a fuller, more organic feel would be welcome. I’m not entirely sure whether the production and timbre of this release is intentional or the product of limited resources, but certainly the drums (while not totally devoid of the necessary sway) are less than convincing.

"But really this is just nitpicking on my part. It’s a very considered and carefully composed CD-R release with some catchy themes, clever arrangements and beautiful moments. Marin has subsequently worked on soundtracks (this release dates back to 2005!) and that seems like a natural progression for this artist. I really enjoyed this sincere and atmospheric, if slightly cheesy, CD and I’m curious to hear more of Marin’s work." (Henry Lauer / Heathen Harvest)