Sorbet is Chris Ryan of the Robocobra Quartet's latest project that marries synth's to all sorts of wonderful musicians to come up with a real hybrid sound that's somewhere between Classical, drum and bass, ambient technopop and at times a wonderfully cerebral sound.
The album opens with (Paradise) that has some cool synths over a very loose sounding double bass being not quite randomly plucked but just accentuating what the synths are doing without actually following the tune so that it ends up sounding a touch mystical in the way that any album influenced by Milton's Paradise Lost should do.
Only For The Young (Ft Arborist) is an ambient gentle techno song about how the ages divide and as the organ sound becomes more siren like the percussion is texturally keeping things calm as visions in the lyrics open things out.
The Candle sounds like they need a large church candle and are wondering if it's better to have a scented one or not and what scent would work best for this slightly chilled and rather laid-back mood, is it Vanilla or Citronella or even Lavender as the drums cut through against the organic synth and chiming sounds.
(Purgatory) opens as a modern classical piece, very pastoral and rather pretty with hints of Soft Machine as the strings and piano weave a delicate way out of Purgatory as a thunderstorm rages outside and I can hear schoolgirls screaming (I live next door to a school, the screams are not on the record) in a way that adds to the foreboding in the somber parts of this tune that are accompanied by flashes of lightning.
Beaming Signals pulse above the thunder both real and in the percussion on the track this is a perfect song to listen to during stormy weather tapping rain adding a further texture as the shimmery organ sounds and gentle almost whispered vocals tell a story illustrated by sparse notes on a piano.
Born Purple (Ft Mickey Kiiatein) is sort of classical drum and bass experimental Radiohead mewling vocals interweaving texturally across the speakers destroying any fake flowers.
The first single I Heard His Scythe (FT Maija Sofia) feels like a song for our times and how so many of us have had close brushes with the Scythe but hopefully have survived, this is atmospheric layered music that recalls Ultramarine and Robbie Robertson's Somewhere Down A Crazy River while making us think of how lucky we are to still be here and now after a few listens to it as a single and on the album really does jump out every time it come on.
Kettle Boil (Disobedience) sounds like an everyday occurrence as someone fails to pour out the tea, or forgets to wait 20 seconds so the water is just off the boil before pouring, as the ambient pulses build and the woodwind comes in, as we discuss the perfect temperature for different green teas, is 87 degrees optimum for Oolong leaves, how agitated are the swirling noises at almost the perfect speed for stirring the water just don't over fill the kettle, as the kettle drums are raging up a storm.
The End Of Time has a sort of poppy dance beat, scratchy synths and deadpan vocals urging us on to The End Of Time whenever that may be.
The album closes with (Hell) that has a classical Eraserhead style feel to it, it creates a dark somber mood in keeping with the 2020's so far, the darkness has enveloped us, the strings are like flickering flames licking at our wounds as the descent becomes total and we are immersed on the final long tones.
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