Soon. Soon

With the pre-released track Komodo Dragon Soon was found on this blog for the first time. The long, instrumental track struck me with awe and fear at the same time. The music was adventurous, yet unrelenting. Beautiful and ugly, pleasant and overwhelming. So many contrasts and all within minutes. What was lying in front of me when the album dropped on my doormat? I'll admit not daring to put it on straight away and certainly not when my beloved is in the house. 'So, where are you with the album?', you might be inclined ask.

Soon is a duo. Guitarist Liú Mottes, and also a member of Blue Crime and Slow Worries and "interdisciplinairy soundmagician" Jochem van Tol. Together they must have decided to explore their extremes and at times found the middle road in a track resembling a song. The result is the album 'Soon', a musical adventure that demands a truckload from its listeners, but nothing so extreme that listening becomes unbearable. In my case that's easily foreseeable with music like this.

The first album of this kind I ever heard was Absolute Elsewhere's 'In Search Of Ancient Gods' based on the books by Erich von Deniken. For a long time it was the only album I ever heard in its kind. Then I was exposed to Kairos, the radio programme on Concertzender and the soundscapes there certainly prepared me for 'Soon'. In fact, it is quite easy to digest and even enjoy.

'Soon' opens with soundscapes in 'Winter Swells'. More non-music than music in the traditional sense. 'Winter Swells' is an exploration in sounds and pulses, somehow presented as music, as there are sounds and I can listen to it. 'Twilight' is a combination of sounds and a song structure. Soon found several beautiful melodies, together making up a composition. It could be a movie soundtrack but one that is fine to listen to without the music. At some point the drums kick in, only to truly set the mood in the next song, 'Wollomi Pine'. For the first time a loud, somewhat distorted guitar takes the lead, with Mottes exploring her instrument and effect pedals in a predominant way. Soon moves into postrock territory here. The, again, instrumental track takes the listener along through different moods, including a 'Tubular Bells' like sequence. With a very basic bass guitar playing one note repeatedly, relentlessly even, at a time, until a chord change comes and another note is played over and over. 'Wollomi Pine' takes 7 and a half minute and is not one second too long. A lot happens in the composition, including weird sounds and effects near the end.

With 'Pool' the exasperated listener is offered a dreamy song. A very alternative version of Donna Blue. Mottes' singing style and echo on her voice resembles Danique van Kesteren's. The song is too restless to be called a point of rest in the traditional sense. As everything is relative, 'Pool' is that point of rest in the middle of 'Soon', together with 'Minimal'. Expect looped sounds before the mood goes down and a more dreamy song unfolds. It is spiked with sounds and treated conversation. Absolute Elsewhere for the 21st century 'Minimal' is. Again, 'Minimal' is far from a conventional song, but it totally captures me. Liú Mottes and Jochem van Tol created something special here.

Those who needed had their rest, all others are more than ready to dive into 'Cleopatra'. The guitar is distorted close to the point of the sound falling apart. Van Tol is working his keyboards, in a very slow way. Where the guitar was going out of bounds, the keyboards only plays slow notes. The difference is estranging and at times hard to connect to.

Soon is a project. On the face of it, the project certainly succeeded. With its album the duo fascinates from beginning to end. 'Soon' is full of surprises, just like I expected, but never for a moment I have the inclination to run away. When with 'T'iju T'iju' it tends to become too much, I know that 'Komodo Dragon' will soon come. On average, I'm mesmerised by the twist and turns taken, surprised many a time and yes, at times exasperated. The question does remain: when to play 'Soon'? On the other hand my beloved has surprised me several times with what she indicated to like. So who knows?

Wout de Natris