Road to Saturn - Light Nearing

 

Released: November 24

Road to Saturn is an odd duo that creates lush soundscapes out of a minimal set of instruments to include guitar and sparse synths performed by Richard T. and vocalizations by eleOnora that range wildly. The guitars and synth seem to play a largely supporting role to the bizarre and hypnotic singing of eleOnora. though these supporting pieces are given their time to shine throughout the album. Repeated plucked chords of a guitar mix and meld with the vocalizations that range from gentle hum to small little cries and other difficult to distinguish sounds. It really just comes down to the range of the vocalist and her ability to create extremely unconventional sounds. 

The second track on this EP, "Light Conversation," really illustrates the range of vocals at play. It opens up with an odd kind of humming that almost sounds like it could be hyperventilating or soft crying; it is extremely difficult to tell. As a spacey and washed-out guitar joins her, the vocals become equally washed out and the emotion behind the vocals becomes even less clear until nearer to the end. By then, the singing has become more clear and sounds somewhat joyous. As the album moves to "Light Sigh," eleOnora's abstract vocals takes a somewhat operatic turn. The vocals are more consistent and seem to sound out a more mournful tone than the previous tracks. As a whole, the album seems quite vague. It never clearly tells you what it is and forces you to consider what you feels as you listen. This obfuscation makes for a listening expereince that is though provoking and a bit uncomfortable while being quite engaging all the while.