Esordio interessante quello degli Oneiros Way, duo milanese con una passione per gli strumenti analogici e un sound già maturo. Regina (voce, pianoforte, sintetizzatori e organi) e Claudio (voce, chitarre, Lunabass, drum machine/campionatore, sintetizzatori) sembrano avere come principale fonte d’ispirazione molto rock italiano anni novanta su cui innestano tanto electro pop e dream pop internazionale con un lato sperimentale che si esprime attraverso l’uso di padelle, bottiglie di Martini vuote, campionamenti e persino registrazioni di corsi d’acqua per creare la giusta atmosfera. Testi a volte ermetici, melodia e distorsione, la voce di Claudio che scivola passando abilmente da un brano all’altro, tra momenti di intensa quiete armonica come “Scura”, “Luna” o la ritmata “Alba” e un lato frizzante, elettronico ben evidente in “Glass Bell” e ancora più pronunciato in una “Immersion” dove trionfano drum machine e sintetizzatori. Uno strumentale intenso come “Rainfall” mostra invece le potenzialità che gli Oneiros Way potrebbero avere se gli venisse affidata una colonna sonora. “Raining Frogs” punta tutto sull’incontro tra voce maschile e femminile: luce, ombra e riverberi, l’inglese e l’italiano usati per creare momenti sognanti, di grande dolcezza con attimi di tensione in “Mourning”. L’onore e l’onere di chiudere i giochi spetta a “Conformista”, piccolo schiaffo alle convenzioni che punge criticando chi è fin troppo veloce ad adattarsi alle regole. E’ un’eleganza sofisticata e assolutamente non nostalgica quella degli Oneiros Way, tante anime racchiuse in una proposta valida, che funziona su disco e dal vivo dovrebbe trovare la sua dimensione ideale.
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -Ha una voce bella e misteriosa, Regina. Sembra quasi fluttuare tra i riverberi del post punk cantautorale – arricchito da un’introspezione tipicamente dream pop – degli Oneiros Way ... tra Cocteau Twins e Beach House, gli Oneiros Way alternano inglese e italiano e tingono di nero lo spleen lento di questo pezzo.
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Duo milanese formato da Regina (voce, pianoforte, synth e organi) e Claudio (voce, chitarra, lunabass, drum machine / campionatore, synth) che annovera nel proprio sound ritmi trip hop, rarefazioni post punk e introspezione cantautoriale. Dall'intreccio tra strumenti analogici e acustici, i due produzono canzoni oscure ed eteree, che affondono le loro radici in un immagginario cinematografico.
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Uscito lo scorso settembre ‘The Dawn Is Near è l’album di debutto del duo milanese degli Oneiros Way che propongono un electro pop arioso e piacevole dove, come poche volte accade, i suoni e tutti gli strumenti utilizzati sono il centro di una gravità “impermanente” al quale si aggiungono le belle voci di Regina e Claudio. Ma qui la musica non è tutto grazie ai testi che spaziano in un ermetismo ruvido e a volte oscuro anche se poi, come è giusto per ottimi musicisti e campionatori, lasciare spazio alle tecniche ed ai suoni. Da quando il lock down fu la nostra croce e delizia sono tanti i gruppi e le band che hanno sperimentato le registrazioni in casa e c’è da dire che anche grazie al numero infinito di programmi che si possono utilizzare, le registrazioni fatte in casa ormai valgono alla pari di quella fatte in studio. Certo l’aria è diversa, ma i bravi musicisti sanno come far valere situazioni diverse. In questo bel disco, la musica ariosa che si accompagna al suono delle parole si fonde e realizza un prodotto che colpisce già dal primo ascolto, e basta poco a farsi trascinare sulle nuvole dei sogni. ‘The Dawn Is Near‘ è un prodotto dove con la musica si viaggia….in fondo basta poco a fare belle cose.
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It takes a certain type of music fan to get excited over an Italian electro-pop duo but that is where we find ourselves. Oneiros Way hail from Milan and create a soundscape that is part dreamy pop, part movie soundtrack and part industrial. There is something dark and broody at its core and the music benefits massively from having such a hard centre, it gives gravity to the sound and distances itself from poppy music made for the masses and veers towards an older audience. There are drawn-out spaces that allow the music to build, this, in turn, lends itself to the idea that these songs could accompany images from a film, the songs are by no means rushed and are deep in their production. It isn’t until ‘Glass Bell’ that the music moves into a more commercial feel with steady percussion and a more familiar feel (but this is then replaced by a drop out in the middle that feels like 90’s Pink Floyd have dropped by the studio). My stand-out track of the album is ‘Rainfall’, it’s a distorted, Asian feel that almost becomes hypnotic and meditative, it steadily builds until you almost feel raindrops on your skin. It’s an impressive piece but there is always that dark subtone just lingering out of sight. Europe has always been a leading light in pushing electronic music, from the early synth experimentations to the endless all-night parties on the Spanish islands where drink, drugs and dancing went hand in hand and it’s clear Europe is still pushing the expectancy of where the music can go. Obviously, this won’t appeal to everyone, but if you fancy dipping your toe into some smart electro music, you could do much worse than tyring this on for size.
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Out of Milan, Italy comes ‘The Dawn Is Near’, the electro-dreampop influenced debut album from aspiring duo Oneiros Way. It has dark shades along with some ethereal qualities, and blends together other sounds from trip-hop through to post-rock. Although the pair Regina and Claudio have taken the usual influences to create such a sound, they make it their own. They have also focused on experimentalism, and used an array of tools including acoustic pianos, banjos, analog drug machines, streams, empty bottles, an abundance of samples and - forgive me if II am wrong - but it even sounds like there are pots and pans in there. In an effort to keep up with bands like Beach House, Cocteau Twins and Massive Attack, which essentially they construct their sound around. they have also created a sound that is uniquely Oneiros Way. Maybe it’s the accent in the vocals or maybe the use of specific samples -I’m not really sure what -but they do have a distinctive sound of their own. It seems that ‘‘The Dawn Is Near’ is a foreign glimpse into our world and its wonders, touching on the passing of the hours, and the turning of the seasons and the splendour that brings to what can seem like a relentless barrage of light fading to night and into darkness. Other influences like rain, snow and fog all have a part, and then as constant as us ourselves it is back to light again. And so the cycle moves on. This is only my take on it, and I am sure that there are deeper undertones here but that’s what I get from it. Much of the album features slow and bass-driven electro-balladry but. as mentioned earlier, it does drift into dream pop with excellent vocals from both parties, and there is even a break from that with an instrumental thrown in for good measure. Highlights for me include the otherworldly ‘Raining Frogs’ along with the dreamy ‘Immersion’, which takes advantage of Regina’s cool glassy vocals. For a first album this is rather good, and Oneiros Way have the talent in abundance to take the project to another level even if I can’t pronounce their name in any way. What’s interesting is what will they do next? I for one will be waiting in anticipation.
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I keep wanting to say this album is “fun,” but that’s entirely the wrong word. Oneiros Way makes music that explores a dark region between dream pop, trip-hop, synthpop, and shoegaze. Maybe the word “fun” keeps popping into my mind because I love the juddering basslines, or maybe I’m tickled by the group’s occasional language shifts (from Italian to English and back), or maybe it’s the subtle puckishness that emerges from time to time, like with the 6/8 rhythms and synthesized banjo sounds on “Glass Bell” ; I don’t know. I do know that the debut album by this duo, presented only as “Regina” and “Claudio,” contains some of the more engaging pop and pop-adjacent music I heard in 2021.
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Inspired by Film Noir and aspiring to be our latest dreampop darlings, Oneiros Way are an Italian dreampop duo with gothic/darkwave leanings. Their latest album, The Dawn Is Near found its way to [sic] Towers as a beaten up CD-R with torn inlay. It’s almost as though I was the last reviewer they targeted. Fair enough! Everything gets at least one play from this Spaceman and what’s not to love about a beaten up CD-R. As John Peel used to say, “the next Elvis could be in there” (his stack). Well neither of Regina nor Claudio appear to resemble Elvis. (Regina is far prettier) My suspicion is that they target a sound more akin to Beach House, Xymox or even Portishead. The Dawn Is Near is a sweet collection of cool, accessible European darkwave. The duo lean heavily on synths and that ‘boy/girl’ vocal thing +that they do works well. There probably just isn’t quite enough here. Not yet at least. I liked the Scandi-pop feel to the albums opening salvo, ‘Luna’ and ‘Scura’ putting me in mind of Swedish behemoths Kent at times, but certainly Radio Dept or The Mary Onettes. ‘Glass Bell’, which follows is a sparkly little calypso lullaby. The keys sound a bit ‘one fingered’ and yet somehow this adds to charm rather than diminishing. I also enjoyed ‘Immersion’, a dark little ditty tucked away near the end, which I think might have been a single. Lovely stuff. The rest does run out of steam a little. While still quite listenable, I had the impression our duo felt the need to show their variations. In doing so, the album lost traction. Yet I was won over by Oneiros Way. There’s a lot to admire about this band, not least their intent, their taste and their big hearts.
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SIDE - LINE
