The continent-straddling meeting of musical minds that is Elephant House has reconvened after a couple of years’ rest to produce this ode to pan-cultural dream states that is Chollima.
Setting out Christos Fanaras‘s understanding of Greek traditions at the outset, album opener “Stin Ypoga” is a slow-moving, sinuous interpretation of a 1930s Greek classic by Kostas Mpezos. Not having heard the original, I can only assume that this update with its quavering eastern tones nods slightly to the sound of pre-war Greece, but it really is evocative of bazaars and markets though without the madcap dash. It is sedate and thoughtful, with a string-based drone following along behind like a dusty retinue. The slow pace gives a dreamlike quality, operating just outside the zone of reality and drifting like a haze.
The subtle bubbling synth tones of “Chollima” exert no pressure at all. Everything feels at our leisure, swept up in a daydream dance with all sharp edges rounded off. Even Shenggy Shen‘s woodblock percussion is sweet and beckoning, with the swirl of the synths making like the eyes of the snake in The Jungle Book, or like fairground rides with special seats that hug you as they spin you not so wildly.
On the whole, the merging of their two sounds tends to draw the duo away from any obvious influences, but there is a touch of Vangelis in the wide-open energy of “Adamantine”. The punk insistence of Shenggy’s drums is toned right down by Christos’s synth use, but the rhythms prevent the keyboards from drifting off into wholly ambient territory. The gentle, almost childlike simplicity of “Tao Tie” is crisp and clear; there are no shadows here, it may be a little muted, but the sudden arrival of Shenggy’s excited, repetitive vocals hits us like a wave crashing on the shore, bursting into the soundscape and then just being soaked up by all the rest of the musical pieces.
With “Greedy Shopper” sneaking up on you like animals in the forest and album closer “Mallina” warning us with its foreboding tension, there is absolutely loads to love here, but it is primarily the unique soundworld that the two produce that is so charming. You really do feel transported somewhere unexpected — but it is still a pleasure.-Mr Olivetti-
