Music You Didn't Know You Knew
(And Should Know Better)
Andrew Exner
Issue date: 3/11/10 Section: Entertainment
E.S. Posthumus released their third album, Makara, on February 2, 2010. This album follows the success of their 2008 release Cartographer and 2001's Unearthed. As with the previous albums, tracks off of Makara have already been heavily used in the media.
Some of you may be wondering why I am calling this band successful if you haven't even heard of them. Even if you haven't heard their name, you have heard their music. The group's music is a popular choice for movie trailers and any other event that promoters want to give a certain epic feel.
Tracks from Unearthed were used in trailers for Planet of the Apes, Minority Report, Spider-Man, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and many more. Fans of the CBS show Cold Case may be surprised to know that the theme song is called "Nara," and is a track on Unearthed.
For those of you who watched the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, you may remember that at the end of each day NBC showed a montage of that day's events scored to epic music. There were several tracks from Makara used during these segments. In addition, of the trailers to last year's Sherlock Holmes used the track "Unstoppable."
Just in case you're not impressed yet, there is one more tidbit. Not only has the NFL on CBS used E.S. Posthumus' music, but CBS commissioned the group to compose their theme song several years ago. "Posthumus Zone" is the song you hear at the beginning and end of the program, and as they go to commercial break.
E.S. Posthumus actually consists of the brothers Helmut and Franz Vonlichten. They actually have little formal training in music other than taking piano lessons with their mother when they were young. Franz worked in recording studios after school, and Helmut got a degree in archaeology from UCLA. So when the brothers decided in 2000 that they were going to experiment with writing music, they really were experimenting.
The band's name is fairly simple. E.S. stands for "experimental sounds" and Posthumus is Dog Latin (a la Harry Potter Latin) for "all things past." Armed with production experience, archaeological knowledge, and a penchant for trying something new, the Vonlichten brothers tried to make their vision to come true. Also according to Franz, they "wanted the chance to blow an ungodly sum of cash working with a big orchestra."
The first album, Unearthed, took as its theme ancient cities. Every track was named after ancient cities like Pompeii, Nineveh, and Ulaid. Cartographer used the pre-modern Piris Reis map, inventing a fictional ancient culture that could have created the map as the basis for the album. Makara continues in this archaeological theme, but takes a different and more focused concept.
About half of the tracks in Makara are named after Hindu deities. In fact, the name of the album, Makara, refers to the mount of Varuna, lord of the oceans (and another track name). The tracks which are not named after Hindu deities are "Unstoppable," "Manju," "Lavanya," "Arise," "Krosah," and the two arrangements of J.S. Bach's Saint Matthew Passion and Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
Manju is a common Indian name, meaning "pleasing," "sweet," or "snow" in Sanskrit. Lavanya is another Indian name, and the title of an Indian soap opera. Krosah means "a call" or "a shout," but is also the name of two typhoons that hit Eastern Asia in 2001 and 2007, coming from the Cambodian word for crane.
The best way to describe the album's genre is "epic classical." Some have compared it to Transiberian Orchestra or have said that it sounds like Pirates of the Caribbean. The personnel includes a full symphonic orchestra, a choir, 4 percussionists, 5 guitarists, an electric bassist, and a woodwind specialist. With strings, brass, ethnic beats, electronica, distorted guitars, and soaring voices, the result is a unique blend that gives new life to the classical genre.
The Vonlichten brothers operate off of a Pythagorean theory of music, which stipulates that music is the conciliation of warring elements. Makara pits strings against electronica, choirs against strong tribal beats, and western scales against Indian Raga. It straddles the boundaries of culture in almost every song.
In addition, if you look at all of the deities and their personalities, you can almost begin to put together a story for which this soundtrack could serve as the score. One interpretation is that some Hindu gods wage cosmic war against each other with devastating effects in our world. Or they might not be a story at all-it's all open to interpretation.
So how is the music? Every track is full of life and personality, as each deity is depicted uniquely. It becomes possible after a few full listens to know each track by its name. "Varuna" has a rising a falling motion like waves in the music, appropriate for the lord of the oceans. "Manju" is a welcome relief from the drive of the first few tracks, as is "Lavanya."
"Lavanya" is one of the few tracks to prominently feature the piano, in a serene interlude accented by guitar, the tabla drum, and some electronica elements. The two singles, "Unstoppable" and "Arise," are probably the most energetic tracks on the album. In fact, "Unstoppable" almost sounds downright sinister with its distorted guitar riffs.
Therein lies one of my only problems with the album. While Cartographer had lots of slow, beautiful tracks and only a handful of fast spirited ones, Makara has the opposite problem. The frenzy is almost exhausting and overwhelming as you listen to the album. It could benefit from a few more slower-paced songs.
Another issue is a picky one for me. I have never been able to understand the choir's words on any of the albums, but I chalked that up to their use of fictional languages. During the arrangement of St. Matthew Passion, the choir has actual words (German) that should at least be distinguishable if not understandable. The words are just as muffled as always, which is a common curse of large scale choral work.
The last issue is that of the arrangements. While it is fantastic to hear the brother's take on other people's music, the two tracks seem almost out of place amidst the Hindu-inspired album. It is great to hear the classical Beethoven piano piece put into strings and accented with drums, but it seems messy. This may be a result of the recording process, or it may just be the arrangement, but the last track was my least favorite.
Overall, I give Makara an A-. It's not perfect, but it sounds amazing. If this is the direction that classical music is going, then the genre may yet find wider popularity again.
Some of you may be wondering why I am calling this band successful if you haven't even heard of them. Even if you haven't heard their name, you have heard their music. The group's music is a popular choice for movie trailers and any other event that promoters want to give a certain epic feel.
Tracks from Unearthed were used in trailers for Planet of the Apes, Minority Report, Spider-Man, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and many more. Fans of the CBS show Cold Case may be surprised to know that the theme song is called "Nara," and is a track on Unearthed.
For those of you who watched the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, you may remember that at the end of each day NBC showed a montage of that day's events scored to epic music. There were several tracks from Makara used during these segments. In addition, of the trailers to last year's Sherlock Holmes used the track "Unstoppable."
Just in case you're not impressed yet, there is one more tidbit. Not only has the NFL on CBS used E.S. Posthumus' music, but CBS commissioned the group to compose their theme song several years ago. "Posthumus Zone" is the song you hear at the beginning and end of the program, and as they go to commercial break.
E.S. Posthumus actually consists of the brothers Helmut and Franz Vonlichten. They actually have little formal training in music other than taking piano lessons with their mother when they were young. Franz worked in recording studios after school, and Helmut got a degree in archaeology from UCLA. So when the brothers decided in 2000 that they were going to experiment with writing music, they really were experimenting.
The band's name is fairly simple. E.S. stands for "experimental sounds" and Posthumus is Dog Latin (a la Harry Potter Latin) for "all things past." Armed with production experience, archaeological knowledge, and a penchant for trying something new, the Vonlichten brothers tried to make their vision to come true. Also according to Franz, they "wanted the chance to blow an ungodly sum of cash working with a big orchestra."
The first album, Unearthed, took as its theme ancient cities. Every track was named after ancient cities like Pompeii, Nineveh, and Ulaid. Cartographer used the pre-modern Piris Reis map, inventing a fictional ancient culture that could have created the map as the basis for the album. Makara continues in this archaeological theme, but takes a different and more focused concept.
About half of the tracks in Makara are named after Hindu deities. In fact, the name of the album, Makara, refers to the mount of Varuna, lord of the oceans (and another track name). The tracks which are not named after Hindu deities are "Unstoppable," "Manju," "Lavanya," "Arise," "Krosah," and the two arrangements of J.S. Bach's Saint Matthew Passion and Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
Manju is a common Indian name, meaning "pleasing," "sweet," or "snow" in Sanskrit. Lavanya is another Indian name, and the title of an Indian soap opera. Krosah means "a call" or "a shout," but is also the name of two typhoons that hit Eastern Asia in 2001 and 2007, coming from the Cambodian word for crane.
The best way to describe the album's genre is "epic classical." Some have compared it to Transiberian Orchestra or have said that it sounds like Pirates of the Caribbean. The personnel includes a full symphonic orchestra, a choir, 4 percussionists, 5 guitarists, an electric bassist, and a woodwind specialist. With strings, brass, ethnic beats, electronica, distorted guitars, and soaring voices, the result is a unique blend that gives new life to the classical genre.
The Vonlichten brothers operate off of a Pythagorean theory of music, which stipulates that music is the conciliation of warring elements. Makara pits strings against electronica, choirs against strong tribal beats, and western scales against Indian Raga. It straddles the boundaries of culture in almost every song.
In addition, if you look at all of the deities and their personalities, you can almost begin to put together a story for which this soundtrack could serve as the score. One interpretation is that some Hindu gods wage cosmic war against each other with devastating effects in our world. Or they might not be a story at all-it's all open to interpretation.
So how is the music? Every track is full of life and personality, as each deity is depicted uniquely. It becomes possible after a few full listens to know each track by its name. "Varuna" has a rising a falling motion like waves in the music, appropriate for the lord of the oceans. "Manju" is a welcome relief from the drive of the first few tracks, as is "Lavanya."
"Lavanya" is one of the few tracks to prominently feature the piano, in a serene interlude accented by guitar, the tabla drum, and some electronica elements. The two singles, "Unstoppable" and "Arise," are probably the most energetic tracks on the album. In fact, "Unstoppable" almost sounds downright sinister with its distorted guitar riffs.
Therein lies one of my only problems with the album. While Cartographer had lots of slow, beautiful tracks and only a handful of fast spirited ones, Makara has the opposite problem. The frenzy is almost exhausting and overwhelming as you listen to the album. It could benefit from a few more slower-paced songs.
Another issue is a picky one for me. I have never been able to understand the choir's words on any of the albums, but I chalked that up to their use of fictional languages. During the arrangement of St. Matthew Passion, the choir has actual words (German) that should at least be distinguishable if not understandable. The words are just as muffled as always, which is a common curse of large scale choral work.
The last issue is that of the arrangements. While it is fantastic to hear the brother's take on other people's music, the two tracks seem almost out of place amidst the Hindu-inspired album. It is great to hear the classical Beethoven piano piece put into strings and accented with drums, but it seems messy. This may be a result of the recording process, or it may just be the arrangement, but the last track was my least favorite.
Overall, I give Makara an A-. It's not perfect, but it sounds amazing. If this is the direction that classical music is going, then the genre may yet find wider popularity again.
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