DELEYAMAN

"Fourth Part One"

Equilibrium Music - 2009

CD

Deleyaman was founded in the fall of 2000 by Aret Madilian, an American-Armenian multi-instrumentalist, musician and singer originally from California, now living in a French coastal village. Classifying the music played by Deleyaman is a difficult task: it can described as ethereal, mystical, darkwave, heavenly, gothic and at times as world music. The heavy use of the Armenian duduk, the saz or the kementche (Armenian fiddle) next to contemporary electronic instruments, guitars, drums and percussions, the prayer-like vocals and chants of Beatrice Valantin and Aret Madilian in several languages constitute a major part of the band's music music. The overall mood of this new album differs from their prior releases, yet the sincerity with which they explore their art is the same.

Inspiration for the lyrics comes partially from the works of American poets E.A. Robinson, A. Hecht, R.W. Emerson, E.A. Poe, H. Crane and T. Stickney, but also from the Lebanese mystic poet Khalil Gibran. Most of the titles are sung in English, except for two tracks sung in Armenian and the track "Jardin", sung in French, with words taken from the poem "Nous n'Irons plus au Bois", by T. de Banville. The use of several languages by Beatrice Valantin and Aret Madilian, the two vocalists, has always been a distinct features of the band.

"Fourth Part One" is exemplar of Deleyaman's ability to mix their ethereal vein with an introspective obscure mood, a concrete conjunction between a neoclassic taste, 80's sounds (Dead can dance / Cocteau Twins) and Northern folk noir.

- Roberta T.

Website: http://www.deleyaman.com/Deleyaman/home.html

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/havingthinmoonshinevenice