Radwan Ghazi Moumneh & Frederic D. Oberland - Eternal Life No End [Constellation 191]

Released on the long-standing Canadian Constellation Records label on April 3rd, 2k26 is "Eternal Life No End", the most recent collaboration album conceived by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh of Jerusalem In My Heart-fame and Frederic D. Oberland, also known as a driving force behind Oiseaux-Tempete. Serving a menu of seven pieces rolled out over the course of roughly 43 minutes the duo, driven by a long friendship and connection, brings forth an amalgamation of their individual musical approaches as matter of dealing with the situation in the so-called Middle East, overcoming what Oberland describes as a total writers block, mixing brittle, yet rather captivating, silver shining and ever scintillating digital quasi-Ambient layers with plucked and processed Arab string instruments seemingly triggering movement and direction of subdued lo-fi beats as a foundation for Radwan Ghazi Moumneh outerworldy, heavily detuned vocals in the opening piece "Squeal Of Swine", a tune atmospherically sitting in between otherworldly melancholia and the shimmering neon static aesthetic of Post-Vaporwave whereas "Dagger Eyes" pairs slow ritual x tribal percussions with brooding, claustrophobic sawtooth basslines, unaltered vocal deepness as well as hovering Arab string tonalities whilst the super minimalist "A Silence With No Ceiling" evokes memories of inward looking Desert Blues x Americana excursions of instrumental nature, meandering through dried up meadows like a winding river bed that hasn't seen any form of precipitation for years on end. Furthermore "A Shadow With No Silhouette" sees the two artists exploring a sonic landscape as beautiful and touching as a setting sun over an endless sea of dunes before "The Serpent" sees electrically charged low end movements meeting mystical memories, altered and ever morphing vocals and - most importantly - a pounding, yet organic pulse of 4-2-the-floor bassdrums for Industrial Shamanic dancefloor rituals, "A Dream That Never Arrived" caters more late night dancefloor fodder with its slow moving quasi-Dancehall and a continous bass drone garnished with fragmented oriental harmonic structures most likely catering to those who've been ecstatically dancing to DJ sets play by DJ /rupture and the likes of throughout the 00s and the closing cut named "Walked And Walked" presents a shimmering silver lining of hope at the far end of the horizon with its calm, almost soothing Ambient floatations and echoes of Jazz x Future Jazz to be found in the mix. Good stuff, yet probably rather unusual for a Constellation Records release.

Album artwork on Instagram!