Search - Waldeck :: Night Garden

The Tale of Two Singers

TastyBabySyndrome | "Daddy Dagon's Daycare" - Proud Sponsor of the Lit | 01/20/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Waldeck happens to be another of the bands I turn to when I want to sit down and relax, letting my mind float a little, or when I feel like having some sonic soundscaping to simply soothe me. They're one of those bands that does some really good work in what reminds me of Trip-Hop, with the aural craftsmanship of their works really worth touting and really worth absorbing, and I like to sit down, select the songs I want to listen to, and then let them play over and over again. As far as the music goes, I have to give it to K. Waldeck because he really knows how to make the mind relax. He understands how to use build and a multitude of sounds to create a curtain to layer of the mind, letting it drift off to a place that allows a listener to absorb the singer and the song at the same time. Along with him are other people that do some pretty fine work, and they also get the nod. As a group, they bring a layer of sounds that perhaps couldn't be combined by lesser hands and they make them fit. That said, Waldeck has its flaws because it's a tale of two singers. This album actually uses a male and a female, halving the tracks, and that places inconsistencies in the work as a whole.
On one side there is Joy Malcolm, and she's truly a treat. When I listen to her I marvel at great things she that does with expresses in her vocals, making me revel not only in what she has to say and the beauty she brings to the table but also in the other layers of the song. Her voice is beautiful, blending into the beat sometimes and floating on it in others, and I absolutely love that. On the track "Tears Running Dry," the music creates an atmosphere with oddity, the sounds floating in and out, up and down, and then she comes in as another layer of it and makes it beautiful. On the track "The Night Garden," her voice is sampled and used a component of the music, and that makes the instrumental beautiful. And on other tracks she does other things with her voice, making it soothing and attractive or just expressive, and I love hearing it all. I enjoyed all the tracks she was on, actually, with "Slowly," "Fallen Angel," "Floater," "It Comes From you," and "Morning Light." On the other side is Brian Amos, and he took me a little while to grow into. I say that but I'm still not sure I'm sold on him as a singer and I am sure I wouldn't buy anything he's on solely because of him. I can enjoy a few of the songs he's sings, granted, but normally I set my radio on select tracks, skip him, and then play the songs Joy is on. In fact, my hand is trained to actually seek out the remote when I hear the music coming that announces him, almost as if he's been used in some form of classical conditioning. And that's because he doesn't merge with the music like she does, actually not striking me in terms I'd call "settling." He has a voice that combats the music in some places, actually messing up what a multitude of people do with regard to sounds and making me forget some of the creations with read to lyrics. Perhaps some would disagree, but this half is a really weak half of the equation and, for a time, I stopped listening to the album because I'd played Joy's side of the tracks to death.All of that said, I still think that the EP that Joy makes up, six tracks in all, is a stellar album and I gave that portion the five stars in my review. The track "Tears Running Dry" was enough for me to actually do that, but then the other pieces she did helped me along as well. I only wish I could have had more of her singing the herein songs that I know I would have liked were she in charge, and I hope that future releases will take into account that Brain shouldn't do Trip-Hop."

The Transcendent Essense of Chill

Resa de Milo | Washington, DC USA | 04/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Transcendent Essence of ChillWhile listening to one of my favorite Downtempo Streaming stations, I can remember when "Floater" drifted from my speakers. I instantly slipped from my usual tense and stressed self into a state of surreal relaxation.If I had to point out three songs I love, they would be "Moon", "Slowly" and again "Floater." I have, however, had the chance to listen to several of Waldeck's songs and while people have mixed feelings as to the fluctuation between the female and male vocal leads, I appreciate their artistic versatility in being able to do so and still maintain the atmosphere. One aspect I also love about Waldeck is the range of styles to which their songs can be adapted. On their Remix album, there are multiple versions of songs such as "Wake Up" and "Defenceless" some more ambient while others more upbeat but definitely always Trip-Hop.On a side note, I have to address the matter of "style borrowing" and artist comparison. Perhaps it's just me, but when I listen to a song or a group, I don't compare them to another. Doing that would leave me solely devoted to one band or for that matter one genre of music. I love a little something from most genres. Now that is definitely me. I feel Waldeck has its own sound in Trip-Hop. If artists of a genre didn't sound similar, there would be no point to having genres or sub-genres. A more important point people today should realize is nearly everything produced in the last half century is a "borrowing" of some earlier artists, e.g. BB King. It was mentioned that Waldeck Borrowed its sound from Massive Attack, I don't agree and I have loved Massive Attack since before anyone even knew who they were! I even loved them when they did that horrid cover of the Doors, "Light My Fire" oh yes they borrowed that song and a few others. But you don't see me complaining about it. Actually I recall my mother who is 51, walking in on "The Blue Lines" Album and saying hey that's so and so's song they are doing. I asked her if she liked their cover, she said yeah, sat down and mellowed to it with me.Point being: It's all about enjoying the Chill. If you want to relax and get into that mellow zone, Waldeck can get you there and for this, I definitely recommend it."

Lacks originality

T. Bruce | sydney | 11/18/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I was a bit skeptical of Waldeck at first because I though they had borrowed most of their stuff from Massive Attack. While "Balance of The Force" did sound similar to "Protection" or any other trip-hop band of the 90s, Waldeck's music had something different to it. The piano, the synths, the sound effects, the vibes, the interesting beats so overall it was ok. However, "Night Garden" dissapoints because it clearly feels totally copied and obvious: the creepy "Mezzanine" bass lines, the cheezy lyrics "she's at ease with the past and the darkness...fallen angel", "tears running dry years passing by" "...waiting for the light..", a little embarassing at times "putting out the fire with gasoline", the pointless cover of King Crimson's "I talk to the wind". The few appreciable tracks are "slowly" ("angel/dissolved girl") and "floater" ( i.e. black milk).It would have been better if more focus had been placed on research in electronic sounds rather than on the "cliche" singing.The title track although instrumental and pretty is way too unhappenning and the album lacks balance, not leaving much variation between the rest of the tracks."