Roland Buhlmann is a Swiss musician, playing electric guitar (mostly), bass guitar, synthesizers, cooking pots, oil tanks, udu and voice “noises”. Emnaloc is his fifth CD and the “language” he uses is not a normal language as he makes up words that do not really exist and sound phonetically rather weird. The music Buhlmann plays is 99% ambient instrumental and mostly guitar based, and it is embodied in progressive rock. However, the sound also picks up elements of classical music, jazz fusion and heavy guitar work, making this album a nice one for true guitar aficionados! The opener Umiion is a true progressive rock track, kicking off with woodwinds, the traditional Celtic carnyx, a copper wind-instrument and ending in beautiful catchy guitar harmonies. All of the tracks show/prove that Buhlmann is an excellent guitar player; in Rithnal, probably the heaviest song of the album, he highlights his wailing guitar chords creating a very heavy hard rock like track! Yndrun has a melancholic, or better said meditative feeling with New Age influences galore, while Sevamcao even shows some Bossa Nova and Latin influences. The album ends with the title track, also the longest one clocking in over twelve minutes, and here the trumpet (played by Luca Calabrese) sets the rather jazzy tone for this song, while the guitar solos featured here are impressive indeed! Emanloc is an impressive album, maybe not suitable for everyone, as the overload of instruments played by Buhlmann is awesome, making this definitely more than just background music. Sit down, listen to it intensively, relax and enjoy this special album over and over again. Listening tip: Rithnal. **** Martien Koolen (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
