ALBUM REVIEW: ARI “KENSHO”
“Put on your oxygen mask; before you reincarnation; but you know the beauty of the ride; always tops the destination.” Ari - “Kensho”
Like a long drive alone into the depth of life and scenery, Ari takes you on a journey through various shades of lights, tastes, colors, and emotions. Melancholy harmonies always glimmering the gloomy light that warms the cold-colored surroundings, Ari’s mellow, dreamful voice drifts to the introspective thoughts and feelings that hit you unexpectedly.
Ari’s lyricism is something you can really read into. Kensho is a collection of 10 tracks of fascinating short poems that connects unique impressions with a reflection on life. In “Parades,” there’s a line that said, “the keyword is courage, in a thousand forms of fear.” In “By the Sea,” he wrote, “a footnote in your story, another face in the crowd; if you give God all the glory; you can give me your doubts.”
The contrast within the project is also something very interesting to talk about. The album opener, “April/September,” as the name suggests, consists of the tender growth of spring as well as the progressive feeling of the end of summer. The post-rock project utilizes the shifts in texture and subtly contrasting layers in the soundscape to capture those changes. “A Girl Called Desire” tuned into the black & white electronic skyscape with a leathery, flashing atmosphere. “Bright Lights, Dark City” shares the nostalgic retro-wave feel that takes you to a different time and space.
