Leila-Abdul Rauf – Phantasiai (Album – Cyclic Law)
Genre/Influences: Dark-Ambient, Ethereal, Cinematographic.
Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.
Background/Info: Californian based Leila-Abdul Rauf strikes back with her fourth full length album to date, which also is her first production released by Cyclic Law. The album features two parts, each part featuring four tracks and dealing with a different theme.
Content: The sonic universe of this multi-instrumentalist remains a very unique experience, which is hard to define. She mixes influences together while achieving her work with instruments like a modulated live trumpet and glockenspiel. The production of the vocals remains an essential aspect to the work of this artist. It not only injects a strong Ethereal sensation to the production, but the voice, properly speaking, also feels like an extra instrument. The music has something wafting, sometimes elevating, but also dark and somewhat sinister.
+ + + : Leila-Abdul Rauf became an expert creating obscure atmospheres; a mysterious, imaginary trip through the depths of our soul. Her composition has something minimal, refined by the glockenspiel and elevated by the magic of the vocals. Her timbre of voice has something haunting and heavenly at the same time. She’s doing a great job, mixing different influences and styles together, this way creating an original composition.
– – – : The album is maybe a missing a true apotheosis and that’s maybe because I think this artist hasn’t exposed all her talent so far. There’s still more hiding in her composition then what came out.
Conclusion: Leila-Abdul Rauf is an artist with her own approach and style of music, which makes her work rather visionary.
Best songs: “Suspension”, “In and Out Of Being”, “Lure”.
Rate: 8.
Artist: www.facebook.com/leilaabdulrauf
Label: www.cycliclaw.com / www.facebook.com/cycliclaw
About Leila Abdul-Rauf
Leila Abdul-Rauf is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist based in San Francisco, California. She started the solo project under her own name in 2012, after years of work in metal and experimental bands including Amber Asylum, Vastum, Hammers Of Misfortune and Cardinal Wyrm. In the Side-Line interview Leila Abdul-Rauf interview: ‘Creating Music Is Alchemical’ she stated that the project began after seeing :Zoviet*France: perform at the Wroclaw Industrial Festival in Poland in 2011, adding: “At the time I wanted to make sounds that were immersive and contemplative: an escape from the mostly guitar/drum-based music I had been making up until that point, while also being free to make all the creative decisions.”
Her first solo album, “Cold And Cloud”, appeared on Saadi Saati in 2013, followed by the split 7″ “Ibis / Quiet Seaside” with Tor Lundvall on Dais Records in 2014, “Insomnia” in 2015 and “Diminution” on Cloister Recordings and Black Horizons in 2018.
“Phantasiai” was released by Cyclic Law on 16 July 2021 as the label’s 170th Cycle, on CD and digital, with a vinyl edition following through Cloister Recordings. The eight tracks are grouped into two four-part suites, “Distortions In Phantasy” and “The I Emerges”. Cyclic Law also issued her next album, “Calls From A Seething Edge”, in 2024.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
