ar ker @ babysue (us)

This is a very different sort of album coming from a very different perspective. We had to spin Ar Ker a few times to get an initial impression of what's going on here. Seb Brun is one highly intelligent individual. He's not trying to copy anyone's style and he is apparently not interested in any sort of commercial success. This album is an exercise in pure artistic creativity in which the artist simply does whatever he wants however he wants to do it. The end result...is a collection of peculiar and heady compositions that really can't be compared to anyone else that comes to mind. Some of these pieces are purely experimental, while others contain more conventional musical elements. Brun is playing for a very select audience. He's not aiming to please the masses at all. His music is simultaneously difficult and expressive...and also strange and provocative. Rarely do we hear twenty-first century artists with a sound this stylized and different. So many modern experimental musicians create music that is almost unlistenable. That is not the case here. Even though the tracks on Ar Ker are bizarre and unfamiliar, they also possess enough musical elements and substance to be highly entertaining. A word of warning. Seb is playing above the heads of most listeners. Accordingly, if you absolutely must have familiar elements in your music and obvious singalong choruses...this music will probably leave you in the dust confused. But adventurous folks who enjoy being challenged will find a wealth of incredibly inventive material here. Although we can't adequately describe them with words, compositions like "Bob Zarkansyel (Zanmari Bare)," "Ker," "Koroll," and "Interlude II" most certainly cause us o think and reflect in many different ways. Recommended for fans of truly creative and unusual modern music. Wonderfully inventive stuff from the mind of a true genius. Highly recommended.