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On Tar, CORECASS envelopes you into a haunting journey from despair to regrowth. Blending dark ambient with post rock and neoclassical, Tar is consistently compelling. Uniquely combining piano, organ, harp, drums and electric guitar, Tar displays CORECASS’ musical proficiency and willingness to explore unexpected avenues. Each track builds to euphoric heights but does not shy away from strangeness. In fact, it is in the strange and in counterpoints, that Tar truly comes to life.
Opening track Ovar introduces the melodic piano lines that come to characterise the album. CORECASS layers in droning production, and the opening track sets the tone for the album’s, at times, unsettling atmosphere. Title track Tar picks up this gauntlet and brings vocals into the albums haunting soundscape, moving between ethereal and airy vocal tones to darker, more intense moments. The introduction of the organ in this track is chilling and pulls you deeper into the world and the darkness within which CORECASS is manoeuvring.
In the middle of the album, CORECASS collaborates with various artists, offering three distinct high points on the album. On Disrupt, Ercument Kasalar, of post-metal band MOOR, offers vocals, introducing another genre to CORECASS’ multi-faceted approach. The layering between Lüdde’s airier vocals and Kasalar’s more intense vocals creates a unique counterpoint. This is a persistent theme on the album, with CORECASS collaborating and introducing eclectic genres to the album’s soundscape. Each offers a new facet to Tar, and constantly keeps you intrigued.
On Sørunej, Babara Ludde sings alongside the harp and piano. This is a much lighter moment on the album and feels like a distinct shift. It’s a beautiful melding of Tar’s unique atmosphere, and a shift into the phase of regrowth that is to follow. The harp offers a lighter tone, once again gently shifting what you expect from the album. It is complimented brilliantly by Babara Ludde’s hauntingly delicate voice.
The final collaboration of the album comes on Glijd Mee, which features Colin H. Van Eeckhout of post-metal bands AMENRA and CHVE. The track builds out from more melodic moments into Colin H. Van Eeckhout’s intense vocals, that are further echoed in production. Glijd Mee concludes the three-track run of collaborations, rounding out the peaks of the album and offering a cathartic moment in the album’s latter half.
Amongst these bigger moments, CORECASS finds brief peace in the closing moments of the album. Final track Fin is the quietest moment on the album. A gentle ambient melody moves you through the track, and it feels like a breath of fresh air. The haunting atmosphere lingers in the echoes, but at the forefront is a sense of clarity.
Tar finishes distinctly far away from where it began, yet the journey never feels misleading. On this journey, the collaborations do stand out amongst the album, each pivoting the album to a new phase. CORECASS transports you through a genre-bending exploration of despair and ultimately leads you to the other side. Where it feels as if it should be strange, CORECASS leads you to lose yourself in the hauntingly compelling experience of Tar.
Rating: 8/10
Tar is out now via Moment Of Collapse/Sacer Rec.
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The post ALBUM REVIEW: Tar – Corecass appeared first on Distorted Sound Magazine.
