This is a personal and subjective review of Lesiëm album Times. For technical data see Angel Tears by Merciful Squirrel.


The sound of Lesiëm album Times is big, gallant, craggy, and pompous.  Enya, Pink Floyd, Adiemus, and Lord of the Rings Soundtrack have similar big sound.  And still Times is different.  The most inherent feature is the set of choirs.  Apart from Adiemus, the choirs of Times are western, professional, excellent choirs.  Besides of choirs, a variety of symphony orchestral instruments as well as pop-rock instruments can be heard.  To make the next Lesiëm project even bigger, they will need a big church organ on board.  And what about a contingent of Highland Pipers?   So, if you expect some singer-songwriter stuff with a man and a guitar, Times is perhaps not for you.

The story of Times is about a creature who is struggling to be human.  On his way he has to meet human properties represented by the songs.  A funny incident: I just saw a fragment of animation where a fairy set Pinocchio alive.  He was told, he is not yet a real boy, but he has to struggle to become one.  So, the creature is not alone with his mission.

Somehow, I had to listen again Orff's Carmina Burana to make a comparison.  Perhaps it's just because my recording of Carmina Burana has a ring with astronomical symbols on its cover, much like Times.  This reveals one weakness of Times.  There is not very much variation of volume in Times.  It looks like Lesiëm is so excited with their undoubtedly gallant and glorious sound they can not give it up for a moment.  As well there is not much variation in tempo.  You can not create mountains without valleys between.  (--or see my paintings: you can not create sunlight without the black color!)  Times is intended to be a unity rather than collection of songs.  Unfortunately, this unity has little symphonic form.

Another fault of sound engineering rather than musical nature is in the beginning, in song Prudentia.  The orchestra starts, soon comes the first choir in one spot left from the middle.  Then comes the second choir all around you.  It sounds like you had stuck your head in the middle of the choir and there is no room or hall around the choir, no reverberation of the space.  The sensation is quite unnatural.  Fortunately, this is not repeated.

As well, I would be more happy if they had used less that regular pop-rock drum beat.  In this context it sounds so everyday and dull.  In a garage band the percussionist has the responsibility to beat hard to keep the creative forces of the band in line.  Because Lesiëm only has professional creative forces, this is not necessary.

Of course, I would be more happy, too, if there were more songs with Maggie, but this is totally subjective point.  Now, Maggie sings three songs - or participates in them.  No soloist owns these songs.  Varying choirs, instruments and occasional soloist carry the melodic line forward.  Maggie blends in excellently, she can sing like an instrument.  Somehow I like Caritas even if Maggie's parts are quite short there.  Just the scarcity makes Maggie's verses the true high points of this song.  Caritas has the absolute structure, where nothing can be removed, nothing can be added.  In Caritas Maggie does a couple of times a trick: she moves to another pitch without jumping, without gliding.  She just suddenly sits on top of another note and I don't have any idea of how did she go there.  It's nothing spectacular, but usually singers can't cheat me like that.

Fides can be heard in the Web. The rhythmical male choir alternates with Maggie's repeated arch-formed melody creating a solemnly smiling anthem. The melody is not especially complicated, but it contains some long intervals, which Maggie climbs up naturally and effortlessly. There is no need to hide inaccuracy with vibrato. She can sing like a keyboard instrument. Besides, of course, Maggie's voice has that unique beauty. A couple of things my greedy mind still wishes. A hint more edge to the timpani. And a few variations of the main melody. But an anthem like this don't really need so much variations. When I first heard Fides, I wrote to Squirrel:"I must have that album!  Tomorrow I'll go to a disk shop and if they do not have it, I will break the place in pieces!"  I had to take back my words and it was a long way before I got Times.  And I feel my squirrelly friend is still smiling somewhere in the cyberspace.

In Humilitas Maggie sings perhaps the most diverse and rich melodies of these three.  It's a very beautiful song, indeed.

Spes is one of the rare valleys in Times.  Harp, choirs and ethnic drums create a scenery of green hills and a sea at the background.  This must be Ireland?

Another valley and a pivot point of the unity is the song Times.  It starts with a wind noise or is it wolves yelling.  Some choirs, instrumental solos of woodwinds, strings and guitars.  Rapidly running rhythm without much events like sleeping in a running train.  And twice an emulation of a ticking clock.  Auld lang syne, the clocks used to tick!  I said Pink Floyd and they, too, have a song Time with lots of ticking.  This time, however, the ticking is not exaggerated.

I also said Lord of the Rings.  In the very beginning there are some tunes that remind me forging of the Great Rings.  And in the last song Tom Cunningham "the Creature" sings about ships sailing out, just like Elves leaving.  Perhaps Times is a soundtrack, in a way.  Times has a story and its design contains events on stage.  What a magnificent soundtrack.
The album Times has a Compact Disk label with "+text" note on it. I understand that the tracks 1-13 contain the whole story in standard CD format. Track 14 is dts 5.1 surround mix, another copy of song Fides for whoever has dts equipment.  My player plays tracks 1-13 perfectly, but the track 14 only produces hiss.


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