Modern chamber music is usually very hit or miss with me. A lot of it relies on creating a unique atmosphere that offers something compelling beyond the thousand years of historic sounds already in place. For Taiwanese quartet Cicada, that comes in the form of connecting their newest album, Seeking the Sources of Streams back to nature. Inspired by the valleys and flowing streams hidden deep within mountains, Cicada evoke a sense of wonder and tranquility. Influenced by the sight of water as a natural state of existence from morning dew to misty rain to midnight downpours, the album is constructed as three long passages with shorter pieces interspersed.
Where Seeking the Sources of Streams shines is within its pacing: a balance of motion and deceleration, instrumentation to silence. This kind of music usually carries a weight of existentialism but here, Cicada are more concerned with an appreciation for natural beauty. A touch of longing tinges at its roots, a journey that takes you away from the chaos of civilization. As each song progresses slowly, there’s room for warmth to be expressed on the guitars, cellos, and violins. Though the instrumental palette is minimal, Cicada manage to diversify their sound by changing their melodic leads throughout each song’s evolution. There’s a meditative quality in its new-age influences that give it a spiritual edge on drawn-out piano notes. Shifting between these cascading melodies, the pristine production emphasizes its airy tones. Importantly, I feel like Cicada always have a concept built up and stick to it. Avoiding anything overly complex that would take over the sounds, each member directly contributes exactly what is needed, nothing more and nothing less.
While there are moments in Seeking the Sources of Streams that can feel a little overproduced or moving at too much of a glacial pace, the album accomplishes what it sets out to do. Their ideas have branched out into unique structures and melodies that have helped them become less predictable than their previous work. Though the melancholic ideals of nature and flowing instrumentation aren’t anything new, it’s enchanting and graceful enough to stir your emotions. Though it’s nothing that you haven’t heard before, the expressiveness on Seeking the Sources of Streams brings forth a therapeutic serenity that mirrors its gorgeous album cover.
Must Listens: Birds and Moist Pine Needles, On the Way to the Glacial Cirque, Seeking the Sources of Streams
