Charles Atlas - To The Dust From Man You Came And To Man You Shall

  by Olga Sladeckova

published: 12 / 7 / 2004

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Review

Charles Atlas are San Francisco trio Charles Wyatt (guitar), Jared Matt Greenberg (piano, keyboards) and Sacha Galvagna (percussion, other instruments). The band first formed in 1999, but have already recorded and released four albums. Their fifth album, ‘To The Dust From Man You Came And To Man You Shall Return’, has just come out on Cheltenham's Ochre records. Ochre Records have also released records by Yellow 6, Makoto Kawabata and Stylus among many others. For this new album Charles Atlas have teamed up with other musicians to develop their sounds and ideas. The album's music is enrichened by special guest appearances on flute by Leann Wright, cello by Zoë Keating, trombone by Jose Alvares and vocals by Odessa Chen. The very first track ‘Neither Nor’ introduces all the instruments. First Wyatt's guitar plays a solo in a stable rhythm. Greenberg's piano enters a few seconds later slightly upsetting the tune and, while remaining soft in sound, curving it with an edge of unpredictability . The cello comes next and, just as if it was underlining the sound ,runs freely along. The following songs ‘Demu’ and Corona Narco’ continue in a similar style, but are slightly more fragile in the strength of their sound. ‘Edith’ is the only vocal song on the album and, being the fourth track, gives the album a slight twist. Odessa Chen’s voice fits into the rhythm of the whole album, but at the same time gives it a more personal and less abstract feel Voices also appear on ‘Seven Digit Clock’, but it is dialogue snatched from radio report and is almost lost amidst the smooth echos of the bass guitar. This is the darkest-toned song on the album and comes last. ‘To The Dust From Man You Came And To Man You Shall Return’ reminds me a bit of a walk through a dark wood. It’s very dark in places but you can almost always see bright stars right above your head. You don’t know where it’s taking you but you can’t resist following all the mysterious sounds it produces. The only difference is that you can never quite remember all the turns and hills but isn’t that exactly what you expect from music? You decide.

Track Listing:-

1 Neither Nor
2 Demus
3 Corona Norco
4 Edith
5 Signal Flags
6 Photosphere
7 Chapultepec
8 Seven Digit Clock
9 Primo Levi
10 Dipole Moment