If you havenāt been following the musical journey of Lemongrass, then now is the time to come up to speed. Their catalog includes the wondrous sounds of gems such asĀ Windows,Ā Fleur Solaire, andĀ Time TunnelĀ from the back catalog of Mole Listening Pearls nearly 10 years ago. Now, Roland Voss, aka Lemongrass, is set to releaseĀ Filmotheque, music for the big screen under the new direction ofĀ Lemongrass Music.
The curtain opens and you are immediately drawn in to an original score for Lemongrass. āElle et Moiā is mesmerizing, worth the price of admission. Limited synthetic vibes are obvious as we find ourselves hearing beautiful piano, subtle rhythmic guitar, and a standup bass. A true jazz sound is born. But, just as you become settled in this new screenplay, Lemongrass overlays some characteristic drum work that tickles your memory. Unfortunately, this track leaves your grasp only after 3 minutes. In āSakuraā, our eyes open wide to the expansive sound of a slow, strong string progression. The mind instantly begins to imagine the scene that accompanied such a large sound. The layers are so characteristically Lemongrass, and it is hard to not immediately latch on to this music with affection. The orchestration gets accompanied by such subtle beat work that it becomes difficult to judge the genre. Roland does a great job of exceeding expectations and delivers an incredible mood as we begin withĀ Filmotheque.
The album continues to return to sounds of the past. āThe Cameraā shows you what it is like to groove to a well disciplined jazz quartet at Blues Alley. The band continues that jazz beat on āFritz the Catā as we hop to strokes of an electric guitar and short taps on the piano. You will find sadness enveloping you as Lemongrass takes you on a tour of the āLonely Beachā. Later, a soft sound on āStreets of Yokohamaā introduces well thought out horns. Horns can have a tendency to be overwhelming. But, hats of to Roland and his crew for knowing what works. Their use returns on āLes Affairesā. Here, you can only wonder what scene from what foreign movie invoked such creativity. As we depart the theatre, āGrass-hopperā perks up your mood with an uptempo work of quick guitar and more great piano. This album is over 65 minutes in duration and is an incredible soundtrack destined for an Oscar nod.
Clearly, Roland is returning to roots with the release ofĀ Filmotheque. It is such an incredible creation, something to see and hear. Be sure to get in line first on opening night whenĀ FilmothequeĀ is set to release on February 23, 2007.
