Well, 2023 is off to an awesome start with a nice pace. New discoveries are coming faster than they did in 2022. Already I have listened to and personally discovered the beauty of Solstice. Now, my second discovery, of a new favorite Edenya. I loved the band name; from the moment I heard it. Then I heard Clélia Lenoble’s voice, and I was hooked.
Another Place, which was released on January 13, 2023, on the M&O Music Label; and is Edenya’s second full album, following the success of their last album, Silence, (2020); and their debut EP, Edenya, from 2017. The band was formed in 2010, by Clélia Lenoble, on lead and backing vocals and Marco, on guitars, keyboards, piano and all programming.
The French band from the Montgeron area, outside Paris; plays some of the best new progressive folk sounding music I have heard in years. I would compare it to the profound power, of none other than, Midlake’s, The Courage of Others. Only this time, it is a beautiful female voice, which decorates this music and album with emotion and color. The music is classic, and at the same time, it is especially original. This is not a copy of anything you have heard before. It is unique, authentic, gothic and heavy at times. But it is mostly mystical and ethereal. Exactly what the doctor ordered.
“Impossible Meeting”, opens the album with wonderful acoustic guitar from Marco, and the voice of Clélia Lenoble. She slips into the song quietly, like someone grabbed her from the 1960s unaware, in a time machine. Like something from The Graduate, maybe, the “Canticle”, at the beginning of Simon and Garfunkel’s masterpiece “Scarborough Fair”. Remember the name Clélia Lenoble. I will probably be praising her voice for much of the year. There are no lyrics here, just sweet melodies and harmonies from Clélia, with Marco playing accompanying guitar, supported by atmospherics, in a soundscape which takes the song higher; as Clélia’s voice soars effortlessly into the clouds. The overwhelming strings, sound a heavenly thrust into a dreamy, magical and ethereal breathless escape.
Speaking of dreams, they continue with “Somewhere in My Dreams”. An over 5-minute wonder-epic. This time electric guitar, Julien Perdereau’s awesome drum beats, and keyboards, supporting Clélia’s first lyrical vocal. She sings, “Roaming through the haze. A voice guiding me. Along my way. Looking for you, my friend. I keep on trying. To see you again. Somewhere in my dreams. Somewhere in my heart. Somewhere in the night. Seeking the signs. Whenever I dream. Whenever I sleep. Hope this meeting. You and me. When will we meet? A king for a queen. Do you exist. In reality? When will I touch you? Longing for you. I’m waiting for you. The time is near”. That anticipation we all have for our eternal soulmate. A powerful lyric and song with amazing guitar, which at times takes me back to Steve Hackett and early Genesis.
Beautiful keyed – guitar and keys that sound so authentic and original on the opening of “The Tree”. The guitar sound is original and profound. Clélia sings, “Lying beside this imposing tree. He’s sleeping in peace. Gentle wind is stroking him. Tree leaves falling next to him. All those pretty memories. Remain in the setting sun. A pleasant song. Nostalgic song. That he used to love. Searching for a nice place for the warmth of an embrace. Wandering back in time. Feeling good vibes”. What more do you need to say. Relax, unwind and enjoy every note of this beautiful song and album. Unique keyboards, flute like sounds and guitar. Immaculate.
“Inside Your Walls”, is more of a traditional folk/prog song. It is the album’s longest song at 9:37. Very Midlake – Courage of Others. Absolutely powerful. Clélia sings, “I am sorry. You were not my priority. I was busy recently. Do not worry. I will finish my duty. Oh, please trust me. Don’t blame me. I met someone. He talked to me and shaked me. I saw the pain of my land. You forgot my name. You don’t recognize your friend. Leave it all behind you. Inside your walls. I haven’t answered you. Did not want to hurt you. Can’t take your hand. The call of my land”. Powerful and the hardest rock song on the album. The blistering electric guitar solo from Marco, in the middle of the song, is worth the price of admission alone. Then, he cuts back to acoustic guitar, with Clélia’s beautiful voice leading the way. She sings backing vocals and the soundscape expands infinitely. Easily one of the best songs, on an album of greatest hits. The strings near the song’s ends and the electric guitar which follows, will take you back to Sergio Leone. Simply amazing cinematic music!
“I Hope”, was my early favorite when I first heard the album. Clélia’s beautiful voice and that wonderful accompanying acoustic guitar are picture perfect. Clélia sings, “I Hope everything is fine for you. And I hope that you found the peace in you. Well, I hope my song will please you in paradise. I want to believe you’re in the sky. I hope it’s eerie, in fact it’s me who’s crying. It’s eerie, in fact it’s me who’s living. I hope that you sing a song for me. I want to believe you keep it in the sky. Pray for you, it’s not my place, it’s not. No, I need your blessing, don’t forget me. Don’t I feel so alone. I hope because you live always in me. I hope I will find a friend like you. And I hope I will go until the end of my role. I hope to be dignified and proud. Spreading the love from earth to sky”. Nothing more to add here. She sang it all, so beautifully.
“Garden”, is a beautiful piano and strings instrumental that will take your heart higher that you could have imagined.
“Another Place”, is the title track and second longest song on the album at over 7 minutes. It opens with keyboards and atmospherics, then Clélia sings, “My sweet heart. You feel so scared, and sad I am waiting, I am going. To another place. Don’t cry my dear. You must be strong, today. You’ll find your way; you have to stay on Earth without me. Oh, my child you have to go on. Never look back, and only in dark. The past that you made you grow. I can’t stay long here. Your world will change. Accept the end, you have to bend. You have to let me go. The warmth of your hand. The joys you gave me. My feelings, my memories. My hopes, my struggles. I take them with me. Now you built your stories. Far away from me. With your feelings, your memories. Your hopes, your struggles”. Leaving Earth for the next realm we will all join…someday. Clélia concludes, “Now afterlife I see. You gotta let me go. Gotta let me go.”
“The Shelter”, is a very dark story and song. Clélia hauntingly sings, “Sheltered from the hell. A roaming thunder. A dark veil fell on the earth. Soldiers around our cell. Ceaseless danger. Hiding in the stink from the fury. Will we survive the horror and decay ? For honor unhealthy vibes. Impossible strife. Oh, what’s going on? We are growing cold. We pray God. A desperate call. Hiding, crying. No one’s gonna hear. Seeking hope. Demons are near the door”. The grinding electric guitar only feds the terrified feeling of the soundscape. Then later Clélia takes us from the horror and the storm, to close the song with, “Angels are near the door!”
“The Other Side”, is a step through the beyond. Clélia sings, “Laying, on the ground. Feeling, oh I am down. My numb body, my head is weary. Will I try? Try to fight? In my own land. Daydreaming, daydreaming. In my own land. Not worried, not worried. Thanks God I’ve just arrived. I should have listened to Dad. Pay attention to the signs in your own land. There’s nothing, there’s nothing. Now I promise to be aware”. Awareness. The sax-like solo, just beyond the songs’ middle is fantastic. Then they add middle-eastern electric guitar sounds and the soundscape is absolutely amazing. One of the best instrumental moments of the album. The wonderful guitar soloing and drumbeats that follow will take you back to some classic epics, like Led Zeppelin that you may remember.
“Let Me Go”, is an amazing album closer. A long and beautiful farewell, filled with amazing electric guitar, keyboards and atmospherics that will astound. Clélia sings, “Lying awake I feel so low. My body my cell. Bound in chains. Don’t feel any pain. But I’m afraid I feel like I’m dead. Oh, let me go. My darling, you have to go on. Oh, let me go. Please hear me, for you, life goes on. Oh, let me go. Please trust me, I will carry on. My soul will live on. Like the ice immobilized. Like a withering flower. I’m fading away. Away from her. My soul will live!”
Another Place is full of emotional lift and hope; that the realm beyond the end, is a place of calm, fulfillment and tranquility. The music is a great solace, after two years of one of the most expansive and devastating pandemics in human history; along with a Putin initiated war, determined to destroy a nation. The wonderful care that this band put into crafting this art can be heard in every track on Another Place. I urge you to give this album and band your attention. You will enjoy Another Place, as I did for its promise, or at least its ability to transcend the here and now, and take you somewhere unexpected. Enjoy.
Credits: Marco, guitars, keyboard, piano, and programming. Clélia Lenoble, lead and backing vocals. Guest musicians: Julien Perdereau, on drums and bass guitar; Juliette Carradec, on violin, on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6 and 9. Sophie Clavier, backing vocals on track 5.
All music and arrangements by Marco. All lyrics by Marco except “I Hope”, lyrics by Ida Rose, and “Another Place” lyrics by Marco/Ida Rose. All instruments and vocals recorded by Marco, at L’Antre, in Montgeron, France; except drums and bass guitar recorded by Julien Perdereau. Mixed and mastered by Julien Perdereau. Cover artwork and photos by Clélia Lenoble. Produced by Marco. All tracks copyright © 2023 Edenya.
Track List
- Impossible Meeting – 2:33
- Somewhere in My Dreams – 5:07
- The Tree – 3:53
- Inside Your Walls – 9:37
- I Hope – 3:18
- Garden – 2:22
- Another Place – 7:38
- The Shelter – 6:54
- The Other Side – 5:21
- Let Me Go – 4:54
Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/Edenyaband
https://www.instagram.com/edenyaband
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCavymVHxdmf7-xoLv69XQPg