CD Review - Criambique "Float"

Float by Criambique (As Reviewed on February 10th, 2016)

Artist Bio

Where is the band from?
We hail from the abyssal dusky corners of Seattle, WA, where the forest calls the sea calls the islands calls the windy spray...

Who are the band members?
Vi (singer, songwriter, head witch and professional glossologist)
Alexis (songwriter, rhythm magician, principal whimsy expert)
Wonky (songwriter, chief technical officer, laser harpist, acquitter lady killer)

How long has the band been together?
2 years

Did any members of the band work in other musical projects before this?
Alexis - Lullabelle, Aelix, Alesixland, Very Proper Dragonflies
Vi - Invisible Fences
Wonky - The Mood Chanel, Perpetual Madness Machine

Are any of the members of the band currently in any side projects?
Alexis does remixes for other bands and scoring for video project, plus films and edits the criambique videos.
Vi works with costuming and generally making all sorts of things with her hands (she's really good with a dremel), has done some short films, guest singing spots, (a little bit) of visual art mostly for personal things or for Criambique.
Wonky builds and programs instruments and controllers, like the band's laser-harp and finger controller and live Midi-programmed lights.

Where was the album made?
Our tiny basement in Seattle and Imirage studios in dusty, sunny sandy Reno, NV

Who produced the album?
Criambique executive produced, with Tom Gordon adding production and lots of mentoring in-studio. David Lutz produced the song "Apple Adore", which is a tribute, love poem to Anais Nin...

Who does the songwriting?
It's a completely collaborative effort.  All members participate. Our emotions really do the songwriting. Vi is such a wizard with wording and turns of phrasing, we leave the final touches to her.

Who are your musical influences?
Coil, did we mention Coil?  Cocteau Twins, Kate Bush, The Cure, Soda., Eric Satie, Dead Can Dance, Love and Rockets, This Mortal Coil, Missy Elliot, Tin, Solid State, Marc Almond (Soft Cell), Jesus & Mary Chain, Clouddead, Trisomie 21, Nina Simone, My Brightest Diamond, Hundred Waters, Cotrolled Bleeding, Diamanda Galas, Aphex Twin, En Vogue, Einstruzende Neubauten, Iamamiwhoami, Fall Wilent Laurie Anderson, Fugazi, Public Enemy, Adam Ant, Tones on Tail, Tribes of Neurot, New Order, Ultravox, sleep talking (like real somniloquey), crying quietly in a crowded room, music boxes, the ocean, old found-sound recordings, and mothers singing to their children.

What was the message or goal of this album?
The album is about peaking inside uncomfortable parts of yourself...to that ongoing struggle with finding a type of stillness with all the grit and fierceness you can invoke...the message is that our rituals are our heartbeats, and sand our clay...it is just a right thing to be kind to yourself, as you let evolution and new experiences temper your pain with travels to distant, often inner, worlds.  Plus, getting ot know what and who you really are is fun!!!

Do you plan on touring to promote this album?
Hell yes!

What are you goals for the future?
Touring, creating a live show that is a combination of theater, video audio, ritual and stage craft!

Where can people buy your music?
Right here!
CD Review – “Float” by Criambique Released on January 21^st, 2016

Favorite Songs – A Littling, Walls

This album starts out with a more serious mood, but quickly becomes a fun and an even more entertaining experience.  Criambique’s music influences certainly show throughout their album.    Float has such a wide range of sounds and ranges of motion that it keeps one on their toes.  Just when you think it is going to go one way, it goes in a completely different direction, which I find appealing. This is not to say that the transitions are in any way choppy. The music flows as a river flows through the mountains.  There is a variety of tempos, from dancey fast, to slow and contemplative that keep this album interesting. It’s serious. It’s fun.  It’s passionate and whimsy (Isn’t that Alexis’ department?).  All on one album!

Vi has a passion in her voice that is sometimes rare in today’s music.  Harmonies perfectly round out the melodies in just the right places which give the album a pleasing haunting quality at times.  Vi’s voice reminds me of Switchblade Symphony’s Tina Root, but with a beauty that is all Vi’s own.  Lyrically, the entire album is breathtaking.  In addition, there are three remixes, two of A Littling and one of Free Still which give Float the perfect balance of brutal percussion (A Littling – A Brutal Mix) and ambience (Free Still – Scared of Being Too Wonky mix).

My daughter, Raven, especially enjoyed the music on Float and during Hypnopompa, said, “It would be really good music to dance to while incense is lit!”  As she is ferociously honest, it doesn’t get a more credible opinion than that. 

For anyone looking for an amazing album, look no further than "Float".  If you are interested in purchasing "Float", it is available at the band's website at criambique.com.