Shrine - The Final Asylum
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‘The Final Asylum’ is a brilliant album. Writing anything more would be tantamount to erecting a shrine of Hristo Gospodinov and starting a new religion. However, some of you, who possess the ability to read more than two lines of text without gasping, might regard my blasphemous assurances as typical bollocks, which leaves me with no other choice than to elaborate on the subject.
To classify the work of Mr. Gospodinov is a simple task. A mixture of ‘organic’, industrial and a wee bit of dark ambient is what we are dealing with here. However, it is not the elements, but the way they have been combined is what the listener should focus on. The vision of the future which Shrine wove is what makes me listen to the album several times in a row. According to the message inside the digipack, ‘The Final Asylum’ presents us with a world full of iron plants and mechanical birds, all existing under the rays of an artificial, and dying, sun. The end is nigh and there is nothing left to do but to listen to the silent humming of omnipresent machines and await its coming. A grim concept, no doubt about it, and yet it’s not what I saw with my mind’s eye when I first listened to the album. Yes, my vision included machines as well, but they functioned as a sad memento of a fallen human civilisation. Civilisation which was substituted with something discarded so many years ago – nature. Visions of monolithic structures embraced by trees, empty machinery functioning as shelter for forest creatures, that is what I saw, and that is what enchants me every time I listen to the LP.
I think my example shows that even though Gospodinov’s concept of the album is somewhat imposed, it is not the only possible interpretation of his work. There is nothing left for me to write, but to sincerely recommend to take a walk through this declining world, where what you see depends entirely on you.
Tracklist:
01. Binary Creation
02. The Prophet And The Source
03. The Cellular Gardens Of The New Eden
04. Unnatural Way
05. The Promised Oblivion
Other articles:
To classify the work of Mr. Gospodinov is a simple task. A mixture of ‘organic’, industrial and a wee bit of dark ambient is what we are dealing with here. However, it is not the elements, but the way they have been combined is what the listener should focus on. The vision of the future which Shrine wove is what makes me listen to the album several times in a row. According to the message inside the digipack, ‘The Final Asylum’ presents us with a world full of iron plants and mechanical birds, all existing under the rays of an artificial, and dying, sun. The end is nigh and there is nothing left to do but to listen to the silent humming of omnipresent machines and await its coming. A grim concept, no doubt about it, and yet it’s not what I saw with my mind’s eye when I first listened to the album. Yes, my vision included machines as well, but they functioned as a sad memento of a fallen human civilisation. Civilisation which was substituted with something discarded so many years ago – nature. Visions of monolithic structures embraced by trees, empty machinery functioning as shelter for forest creatures, that is what I saw, and that is what enchants me every time I listen to the LP.
I think my example shows that even though Gospodinov’s concept of the album is somewhat imposed, it is not the only possible interpretation of his work. There is nothing left for me to write, but to sincerely recommend to take a walk through this declining world, where what you see depends entirely on you.
Tracklist:
01. Binary Creation
02. The Prophet And The Source
03. The Cellular Gardens Of The New Eden
04. Unnatural Way
05. The Promised Oblivion
Other articles:
- Shrine - Somnia - 2013-04-06 (Music reviews)
- Lingua Fungi - Flowery Dreams - 2011-10-23 (Music reviews)
