Memorioquia - _Auradeutung_
(Prime Cuts Music, 2008)
by: Quentin Kalis (7 out of 10)
Memorioquia is the side project of Australian dark folk band Memoria. The raison d'ĂȘtre for Memorioquia's existence appears to be as an audio accompaniment to an exhibition by photographer Sarah Ward, and the photographs which inspired each track are included. My appreciation and knowledge of photography is limited to the insalubrious delights offered online, and thus I cannot comment on the artistic merits -- but they do seem starkly minimalist images of urban scenes (no paeans to forgotten pagan gods here).

Memorioquia's post-industrial sojourns ranging from minimalist ambient constructions through to harsh noise are apt accompaniments, evoking a particular mood that would enhance but not detract from the photography. Occasionally, they slip into cheap tricks; for the example, "The Light", a picture of a train tunnel, is accompanied by a field sample of -- you guessed it -- a train. For non-linear experimentalism, this is surprisingly obvious, not to mention lazy.

Their ambient experimentations are not at the same level as their guitar performance under the Memoria banner, but they manage to evoke a suitably stark atmosphere, as if wandering through the industrial centre at midnight on Christmas Eve, when all productivity has ceased. The compositions feel a bit disjointed, but the unity of atmosphere and purpose alleviates this and is an acceptable base for Memorioquia to expand their experimentalism. Or not; whether they continue or return to Memoria is fine either way.

Contact: http://www.memoria.com.au

(article published 31/10/2008)


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