Anantakara’s new album “There is Something” released march 14 2022 has been reviewed by Steve Sheppard

I have been following and writing about the music of Anantakara for some 4 years now, it all started back with an album called Momentum Lapses, a release I simply adored, but now with this brand new offering I think I may have come across some of the finest work that the artist has thus far created, and entitled There is Something.

This journey of sight and sound begins with the very first moment of brilliance entitled Orpheus Walk, the natural sounds of water describe for me a cave like waterfall, and the gentle progression of electronic based music performed by the artist here is without doubt some of the most outstanding work created by him, and a piece on its own merits that also has a little crossover classical element entwined within too.

This moment of wonderment is followed up by the piece You Are Not Alone, a track with a slight meditative feel to it, an added sense of mystery and imagination also manifests a whole new level of intrigue and fascination into the mix as well. What is so very appealing about this album is that it forces you to sit and listen to each and every second shared by the artist, it is so incredibly inventive.

Magnitudes is our next track location and another piece that creates a sense of electronic craft and guile. Here is also an offering that due to its repetitive energies brings into reality a mood of movement and travel. The tones created here by the artist and the presentation contained within are sparkling, radiant, and brilliantly produced.

The longest piece off the album is a track entitled That Inner Voice; it contains some of the most haunting yet almost angelic vocals to begin its eventual and slow transformation, and onward and into a wonderfully classy electronic music offering. The build and progression here are smart, intelligent, and wonderfully arranged, this is a piece I thoroughly enjoyed and would like to call it my special moment of magical musical coalescence.

At the midway marker we come across a truly dark yet enticing composition called Temptation Of Melancholy, here is something heavy and incredibly moody, and I would suggest that the old maxim of it does what it says on the can comes into play here. One can feel the temptation through performance structure and how easy it is to allow oneself to fall into a pit of darkness, in what is a crafted and artistic presentation by the artist.

The meditative qualities of this next piece really shine brightly on the offering Toward Clarity; this would be another personal favourite of mine, much ambience can be felt here, but also the artist manifests a change occurring within his sublime creation. The listener will also be able to touch a sense of awareness here, one that will perhaps lead to moment of clarity from being very present and in the moment, as listeners, you will find yourself listening for each and every sound to come, which in some way proves my aforementioned postulation.

The title track is always a great opportunity to expand and explain the entire concept of the album, and on There Is Something the artist does just that, the energy is raised slightly, but the repeating motifs and slow builds and textures, bring to the seeker a mood of satisfaction and tranquillity, the presentation of electronic wizardry here is not simply clever, it is incredibly well thought out and intelligently performed, and at times reminded me a little of John Carpenter.

Grateful Soul is a wonderful respite of tone and inner realities to completely enjoy, the harmonic vocalisations and slow progressive ambience on keyboards are blissfully balanced. This I would dare to say is a specific arrangement that would be brilliantly placed into a fantasy segment of a movie, the vocals are ethereal and time seems to just drift by whilst in this moment of sublime oneness.

The penultimate offering of this quite superb album is now upon us and entitled Strange Feeling Of Grace, there is a slight elevation of energy here, and the construction of an electronic ambience and minimalism can also be felt in this expertly manifested last but one composition, I felt the electronic presence here of a multitude of directions, in a piece that would literally be ideal to leave on repeat for a circular journey of musical pleasure.

We now bring to conclusion the album with a relatively short arrangement entitled A Sense Of Freedom, and for the first time we sense an energy of a more New Age styled creation, and hovering within the weave of the piece is a mood of renewal and growth, one must applaud the musician for his inventive and creative intelligence to leave the release with a composition of rejuvenation and fresh perspective.

There Is Something by Anantakara is with ease the best work thus far by the artist, he has taken his thoughts and allowed them to grow and expand and create an album of music that is both very easy to listen to, but also brings such serenity and focus into the mix as well. There Is Something by Anantakara is an album that fans of expressive and artistic electronic music will utterly love, and for those who are unsure of the genre, the best place to start.