Listening
Contents
Venus in Flames has released a new record after ten years. And we like it. Vocalist Jan De Campenaere has had a tumultuous period but “Vanishing Act” is a very strong album full of atmospheric songs. The reproduction of the Kratos combined with the Morpheus is the first thing that stands out. Music comes through crystal clear and the listener is completely involved as well. You feel the honesty in the songs without the amplifier adding sweet syrup. The Kratos sounds light, airy but at the same time fast and powerful without emphasizing any particular element
“99 Nights” by Charlotte Cardin is full of strong songs. Think Jessie Ware meets Roisin Murphy but, as far as we’re concerned, with added substance. Some tracks creep into your head and get under your skin. And the little stories she tells stay with you for a long time.
While the Kratos does not produce the deepest bass, it is controlled, agile and full of information. The “reverb” is outstanding on every level. The touch of the keys on the piano on “Next to You,” for example, is excellent. Because of the resolving power, the intelligibility of voices is exceptionally high. Those voices are projected nicely apart from the rest of the music.
“Javelin,” the new Sufjan Stevens is a great new album and very similar to “Carrie and Lowell” if maybe a bit more bombastic. It is a beautiful recording full of excellent songs that gets better with each passing of the album.
On “So you are tired,” the beautiful soundstage stands out. Each element can be heard separately without the whole song being lost. We hear no harshness or extra emphasis on s’s or t’s despite that high intelligibility. On the contrary, we hear a very precise reproduction full of detail without it becoming cold or clinical.
And now for some jazz with Daniel Villarreal who on the album “Lados B” collaborates with the amazing Jeff Parker. This complex music poses no problem for the Sonnet Kratos. Here we listen mainly for tonality of the instruments. Jeff Parker’s guitar and Anna Butterss’ bass (written with two s’s) beautifully complement Daniel Villarreal’s drumming. On the song “Sunset Cliffs,” the artists seem to be close. In fact, the whole album sounds very compact and brooding. A lesser amp would make this a thick mash, but the Sonnet Kratos pulls each element off nicely. And the flow on each track is spot on.
We also listened to Everything but the girl, Spellling, This is the Kit, Erik Truffaz, Peter Broderick, Mykki Blanco, Leonard Cohen, Massive Attack, Kevin Morby and Destroyer, among others