Youri Blow - The Corridor (Album)
Be enchanted by this fascinating melting pot of cultural complexity and rhythmic blues that is far from French. Youri Blow composes a blend of hypnotic vocals, rustic percussion, and tricky guitar licks, with plenty of stamina for acoustic blues twang and soulful basslines. Having embarked on a personal quest to explore the furthest regions of the world's musical soul, Youri has managed to blend various musical traditions without muddying the waters. Harking back to 1930's blues legends and with a firm grounding in the greatest guitar players of the 1960's, he arrives at an all-encompassing modern rendition of blues experimentation incorporating subtle primitive roots inspiration.
Youri's first full length album The Corridor is an impressive guitar-driven collection defined as "psyche-blues" that will inspire a new generation of blues rock artists to tread the fine line between the utterly familiar and fresh experimental sound techniques. The contrast in light and shade keep your senses awake in anticipation of where the music is leading you. An album that is likely to endure the test of time and continuous play, the sounds meld with the mood rather than hijacking the senses.
Youri highlights the versatility of popular instrumentation, using pleasant string harmonics alongside guttoral chants in "Khovsgol Lake," and "Ulan Taiga" blends with racy acoustic wanderings which highlight the diverse talents of this French guitarist.
"Ever Love" is a notable opening tune. Sparkly guitar is mixed with rock echoes, a dark love tune in the tradition of the finest. "Muddy Streams" blends the steel brilliance of American blues rock with the call of the wild. Rustic and melodious, "Strange History" is a crystal clear blues guitar track with rough vocal effects that make for a haunting contrast. "Blue Mountain" has an infectious driving guitar paced with hypnotic verses and strings building to a sweet melting climax.
Throughout the album, Youri uses sounds from nature to blend and contrast with his vast array of instrumentation. This is most enjoyed on a track titled "Tsagaan Sar."
"Salmon Dreams" wanders with esoteric whisperings, grounded deeply in sublime rock guitar rhythm and riffs. The title track of the album has definite replay appeal - a subtle and sultry tune of splended composition with the perfect balance of light and shade. "Autour de Templier" and "L eveil de la Goutte D'eau" are the most quietly contemplative pieces, lengthy guitar instrumentals married to string experimentation.
