Text: Evelyne Gorter
Almost one and a half years ago we saw Cesar Quinn live in a small dark venue near the Dutch/Belgian border. We immediately heard that the project around Belgian multi-instrumentalist and producer Frederik Daelemans is something special.
The concept album ‘Opal’, which is released today, contains ten tracks on the theme of gemstones, including an intro and outro. All songs have been given the name and musical atmosphere of a stone. Daelemans describes his music as a fusion of ethereal alternative and modern jazz into a compelling swirl of spherical music with hints of psychedelic post-punk.
We can identify with this. The album is experimental and shows a fusion of musical styles. In the parlando sung intro ‘Opal’ we hear, “This is Opal, let it rain over you”.
While listening to this album, a musical monsoon comes over us, sometimes icy cold and like a dark shower in the dark night to change into a soft refreshing drizzle to be gently misted. In the song ‘Amber’, Daelemans sings, “Gold and brown, close your eyes and sink down”. Close your eyes and let yourself be immersed in the sounds…
Just as the capriciousness and the contrasting colours of gemstones can enchant you, the same happens with these songs. They work on you and after a few listens they start to stick with you. The songs ‘Amber’, ‘Sphalerite’ and ‘Lazuli’, with the cello in the leading role, stand out as gems in our view. Just like gemstones are all unique, this album is ‘One of a kind’, a new sound, in our opinion a gem.
Etiket Records
