A healthy dose of independent spirit and Joëlle Léandre’s passionate support don’t hurt. Even without that, though, the music performed by the all-female sextet Lantana (Maria do Mar, Maria Radich, Joana Guerra, Carla Santana, Anna Piosik and Helena Espvall) provides a number of enticing insights. These five improvisations stand out in particular for the non-attendance of overly specific references, with at least one foot kept in the “elemental” totality to which the CD’s title alludes. Bowed string and trumpet overtones – more or less discordant – are layered atop seriously processed audio environments. Voices add to the ceremonial flavor with their off-key chanting, in selected circumstances whispering and mumbling rather sinisterly. An undercurrent of purity that inexorably draws the attentive listener’s respect compensates for the (rare) spots where the overall coherence appears to weaken a little bit. Given the ensemble’s penchant for trance and “loss-of-self” metaphysical contexts, this feature is ultimately a charming one.
Massimo Ricci. Beyond The Dust. 