ALIO DIE & MARTINA GALVAGNI Eleusian Lullaby CD (Projekt)
Three elongated tracks making up a full length album of arty, filmic experimental soundscaping. Delicate and subtle, yet slightly discordant, melodies from archaic stringed instruments interweave with ambient drones, tinkling bells, and wordless vocals with Middle Eastern, medieval and folk touches, as well as sophisticated and evocative neoclassical vocals that are used as more of a focus of the track rather than the other styles that put in briefer appearances. Less song-oriented than many Projekt releases, but its ethereal nature, coupled with the slightly dark take on folk/world/classical music, fits right in with much of the label's other output. Combining elements familiar from the ambient/drone/experimental genre with creative, intellectual ideas of their own, the album is relaxing yet slightly unsettling at times, and goes beyond music and into the realms of aural art. More info at www.projekt.com

VARIOUS The Projekt 2008 Sampler CD (Projekt)
Budget priced sampler of current Projekt artists, featuring the ethereal dreampop of Tearwave and Autumn's Grey Solace; neoclassical music with flute, piano and sophisticated operatic-tinged vocals from Mirabilis; a superb Dead Can Dance inspired piece from Arcana; a track from Lux Interna who make impressive neofolk with some similarities to Backworld; Revue Noir who are perfectly named with their sleazy but sophisticated dark cabaret music; the inimitable tongue-in-cheek folk/mariachi/ska/theatrical music with its sick and twisted lyrics from who else but Voltaire; otherworldly guitar and vocal soundscaping from Alio Die and Martina Galvagni; electronic ambient music from Steve Roach; an innovative mix of dreampop and experimental electronica from Chandeen; an impressive track from All My Faith Lost... which straddles the boundaries between neoclassical, neofolk and dreampop; and Attrition team up with Emilie Autumn for a dramatic and experimental take on the Christian hymn Rock of Ages. A fine compilation that shows dark music encompasses far more than just standard gothic fare and actually manifests itself in many forms. More info at www.projekt.com

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