To Know Where It's Going

The London-based brothers Anthony and Demetri Kastellani have put together a series of ambient/electronic tracks with an improv feel (some tracks were laid down on the spur of the moment on an iPhone) and subtle hints to a Cypriot heritage. Characteristic of the project is ‘Five Fingered Mountain’, the string-inspired opening giving hints of their classical training. The block-like bell tones overlay the melodic lines, showing the influence of film composers such as Morricone or Theodorakis. ‘Whatever Beauty’ also has interesting musical ideas, from the Bach-like harmonic movement of the opening to the trombone interjections that punctuate the vocal line. I particularly like the playful ‘Luna Park’ with its hints at fairground organs, and the bell-like introduction to ‘To Nowhere It's Going’. So, a lot of this works very well, particularly if you are willing to drift along with the sound, which is a tribute to the brothers’ musicality. If I have one other observation, however, it is that this dreaminess is sometimes disrupted by the vocals which jolt you into a more critical awareness of the improvisatory nature of the tracks.