Acasia – Acasia Review

Judge an album by its cover. Always do so. Nothing but the flutters of early winter can be found in this black and white cover of Acasia. You need no more information than that when taking a step into this transportive dungeon synth. Those ambient charms to soothe the soul and push back the silence. Integral listens. Haunting dramatics and a pool of nostalgia swirls through Acasia. Those days of hopping on to play some video game which was way out of the age rating range, the heady days of owning a GameCube and feeling terrified by the premise and opening level of Hitman: Blood Money. The childlike mind of a wannabe comedian turned music journalist knows no bounds. Acasia does not either, and it shows in these confident and haunting pieces. 

Although it suffers a muddled passing between Introducción and El lamento de los ángeles, the feel is clear and the horror is bubbling to the surface. These are not the calming ambient scenes first expected but a dive into what makes the heart beat that little bit faster, the chimes and charms of nine songs set on showing off a handy instrumental understanding all the while moving through this moaning, malicious sound. It works tremendously and reworks the meaning of ambient music into this formal dance, these grinding and early hours experiences. When else must we listen to the dreams and disasters than in the dead of night? String sections on Invierno eterno herald an end to the jumpy, cold feeling of the previous three tracks and instead rely on mighty and moving strings.  

Acasia can cause grand juxtapositions with its instrumental quality and does so frequently. There is a sense of finding yourself in the likes of El Bosque de los sueños, this sea of trees creates a booming and endlessly vivid image. But more consideration for how these songs pair together would bring it up to scratch. At present, they feel isolated and indifferent to one another despite all being part of this desire to create a journey. There is still the sense of travel, urgent exploration of the area around you and deep within the soul through Acasia though its dungeon riffs and rising charms of religious-like inflictions come and go with a passive sense rather than the clear and astonishing scrutiny it could present listeners. There is a sense of missed opportunity within, despite the enjoyable presence latter tracks like Baile de la eternidad hold.  

Still, there is genuine peace to Acasia which is a rare find when the world around us is in turmoil. Take some time to reflect on the self and feel for your next move. There is much to love about the ambient tones found in the latter half of this album, the sprinkling of wisdom found in Reino del silencio and Requium holds out hope for an assured future. Trust in your movements, and despite not a word being spoken, Acasia makes their view on life and how to achieve this sense of peace clear. There is a crystalising effect to it, a genuine achievement throughout which calms the soul and soothes the nerves of those who are four coffees deep into their day, clawing away at anything they can get a grip on.