Dakota Suite & Emanuele Errante: The North Green Down

Dakota Suite & Emanuele Errante
The North Green Down
Lidar
2011-02-25

Chris Hooson of Dakota Suite composed all 79 minutes of The North Green Down in dedication to his sister-in-law Hannah who recently died of cancer. Hooson enlisted the help of ambient composer Emanuele Errante to carry out the difficult task of writing and performing music in memory of a lost loved one. Given the usual silver-lining sentiments of other memorial pieces, titles like “A Loveless Moment” and “A Worn Out Life” make it all the sadder. The web woven by these 18 tracks offer us a head-hanging experience driven by organic elements of ambient music, specifically, cyclical, rubato piano, acoustic guitar and cello. Because The North Green Down is largely a family affair, some listeners may find themselves on the outside looking in when it comes to the roots of its sorrow and its search for something to ease the pain.

RATING 6 / 10