We just covered the drummer-composer's last release, 'Alone' last year; a sort of drums-led soundtrack to an indie film that does not exist. Well, this new EP from the artist could not be more different from that. If you're a budding classical composer or trying your hand at it, this release will provide a few weeks of material to chew on.

It's time to admit that we are absolutely not a publication that offers knowledgeable critiques on classical music (we are called 'Rock Street Journal' after all), and none of our writers are acclaimed composers. So, the interesting part about the EP to us is really in the breadth of feeling it covers. The three pieces on this one try to cover a great deal of conceptual, philosophical and, one would assume technical, ground; there are moments akin to the 'sunrise' that a great rock tune's outro would give you, points of great tension (picture the quiet-loud 'thing' but with strings and all that not-jazz) that inevitably lead to release, be it triumphant or quiet, a big announcement or a whimpering retreat. These are probably highly technical things that the classical community debates over high tea, but the truth (which is strangely comforting) is that the fundamentals are pretty universal, and you really can relate to what Vatan is trying to communicate on these compositions.

There are, as mentioned before, three bits of music to listen to on this EP, or so they have been separated. Two are Opeth-length and one is Dream Theater-length. 

First one: 'String Quartet No. 1: Excerpts From Sleep Paralysis'. We would guess this functions both as an introduction and the 'title track', as it were. It has this real uneasy vibe to it, like you're been followed down the subway in a movie. There's this creeping feeling to the 'chords' (if that is what they are) that just keeps undulating and building, but never gives the listener emotional resolution. The cool stuff here is that classical music is performed by all the musicians together, and live, of course; so there are things happening when each of the instruments are resonating or, simply put, making each other make sounds. That's a layer of interplay that is somehow organic and natural, and above the harmonies that are ‘compositionally’ being achieved by the musicians playing through the piece; this is an interesting concept.

Second one: ‘The Archimedes Principle’. Long, and we mean it’s eighteen minutes long, piece that uses wine glasses as instruments. But again, somehow, the mood and emotional content of the music does not fly over the listener’s head, even when armed with this information. There’s probably a hell of a lot of theory and precise musical exploration that went into this, but what we hear, is again, a piece with a singular ‘voice’ (as in a thing that generates sounds) that goes into a load of emotional spaces. There is a very visual component to listening to this track in particular; there are so many mental images these sounds can soundtrack. It does have some grating moments for the sake of contrast, one would assume, but there really is a narrative that builds over the song’s runtime, which is to its credit. A primal, often oddly tribal vibe, but a vibe nevertheless.

Last: ‘Concerto for Bowed Cymbals: For Martyred Musicians’. So what on earth is a bowed cymbal? Well, it’s when you take a bow (like of a violin or the like) and use it across a cymbal, not a set of strings. That sound is the centrepiece of this composition, and it’s safe to say most of us haven’t really heard anything like it before. Cymbals (when tuned and honed to produce certain kinds of sounds) along with a technique that is not really used in mainstream contexts, turns what are usually ‘1’ signifiers (you music people will enjoy that little joke) into an instrument that can suddenly communicate so, so much more.

So, that’s the EP. It’s 35 minutes long, and it’s experimental as hell. The question is: does that make it a pretentious art project purposely engineered to alienate ‘the normals’ and speak only to a community that understands it? Or is it a bunch of tonal exploration that has plenty of feeling to interest those who might not instantly grasp its technical nuances?

We believe the latter.