Achieving a blissfully melodic sound, Awakened Arms is the debut instrumental EP from Netherlands-based guitarist Marcel Flendrie. Recorded in Berlin with producer Cameron James Laing, the project builds a cohesive, unhurried world of intimacy and emotion. Blending acoustic and electric elements with subtle piano and drums, it gracefully walks a thin line between chaos and serenity. “I record late in the evening or at night, when my day-life has gone to sleep,” Flendrie explains. “My creations arise from my state of mind, often meditative, undirected. Often, there’s a discrepancy between the world inside and the world outside that needs to be resolved.”
A serenely contemplative mood takes hold on the EP’s title track, opening the release with elegantly hypnotic warmness as fingerpicked guitars move seamlessly amidst a gentle backing synth ambience. The layered guitar work in the second half is especially impactful, intertwining the trickling melodies with gorgeous precision. “Into the Light” ensues, maintaining a glimmering backing electronic element while the guitars here assume a more electric embrace, their twangy and melodic tones culminating alongside lush acoustic strings and string-laden glimpses.
A jazzy intrigue then compels on “Zen & Chaos Lie Close Together on a Bed of Thorned Roses,” where a debonair beat and solemn guitar twanging exude a sort of darkly Lynchian cinematic flair. Head-nodding percussion and solemn guitar work enamor throughout, bolstered by added guitar lines and spacey synths that strut a wonderfully harmonious coexistence. EP finale “‘Cause You Can’t Always Get What You Want” closes it all off with a dreamy, inviting subduedness, again showcasing the artist’s dynamic talents with both guitar and atmospheric constructions. Awakened Arms is an excellent EP from Marcel Flendrie.
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“Awakened Arms” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
