Antonymes
Delicate Power (In The Hands of Others) EP
Hidden Shoal Recordings

This Delicate Power (In The Hands of Others) EP is "Delicate Power" (the second single) off Antonymes' warm and elegant album (For Now We See) Through A Glass Dimly. First, we get to hear Antonymes' own version. Then follows the song 'in the hands of others', which means versions or remixes by other artists. Well, these not all hands of 'others', as here are reworked versions by Hazeldine himself.

With "Delicate Power" Ian Hazeldine (a.k.a. Antonymes) shows his class and skills, unfolding another magic and glowing track from his musical landscape of mystic and instrumental wiz power. All of his songs come in slow waves, which eventually drags you down and under to some secret, spellbinding underworld. Antonymes' other versions are called "Delicate Power (Waltz For Mary Anne)" and "Delicate Power (Jung's Drug Drum Waltz)". The former is, well, more waltzy (tagged a more 'late-night swing' by Hidden Shoal), but it swirls around the same theme as the original version (of course). BBC Radio 6 Music's Mary Anne Hobbs was enchanted by (For Now We See) Through A Glass Dimly - I wonder if this version is for her...? "Delicate Power (Jung's Drug Drum Waltz)" holds a small vocal/spoken word part as well as it (maybe) holds a bit more eerie mystery than the other two versions. That said, it is hard to point out the better version. The other three remixes are by the Manchester, England's Marconi Union (the trio of Richard Talbot, Jamie Crossley and Duncan Meadows), the German Markus Mehr and the Swedish Lvmark (who recently collaborated with Hazeldine's label-mate Chloë March on her recent The Orpheus Pavement). I am not sure which one of the remixes I like the better but for the moment, I'll mention Lvmark's discreetly rhythmed, luminous "Delicate Power (Lvmarked Remix)". That said I'm a big fan of Markus Mehr's music, and Marconi Union - which is said to have created the 'most relaxing tune ever' (called "Weightless", according to The Telegraph, UK) - is also a pleasant surprise.

If you're interested in checking out a fine little melody, to see it twist and turn in various directions - only touched and tinted by tiny details, you'd better check out this EP. Less is more than enough. Pitch perfect. Some delicate, powerful stuff indeed.

Copyright © 2016 Håvard Oppøyen