Pantaleimon - Up With The Moon

Andria Degen's Pantaleimon may have been on a hiatus for a while but they return with a collection of songs based around sparse, repetitive and gently plucked Appalachian dulcimer and guitar together with some piano instrumentals to create calming music for the mind and soul. Deriving plucked notes from the Appalachian dulcimer the opener 'The Conversation' is a beautiful expansive meditative piece unfurling fragile folk melodies and setting the tone for the album, as it clears the mind and in doing so creates the right headspace for quiet contemplation to fully appreciate and absorb the tranquil sounds of these 7 instrumental tracks.

Unlike their previous releases Up With The Moon is wordless and instrumental but what remains is their canny ability to craft hypnotic and trance inducing sounds from a multitude of instruments including the aforementioned Appalachian dulcimer together with tracks based around guitar, piano and Indian harmonium. What's also apparent is their ability to produce captivating moods from a minimal palette of instrumentation. Just listen to the gently billowing layered cyclical strum of 'Flowers In The Rain' sprinkled in shimmering acoustic guitar pickings, while glimpses of psych-folk moments from albums such as The Butterfly Ate The Pearl surface in the intricate layered rippling guitar shadowed in slight effects on 'And Then There Was You'. It's equally evocative, expressive and enthralling in a quiet and quite understated way.

Much of Pantaleimon's previous work involved collaborations with esteemed artists such as Hugo Race, Will Oldham, James Bradshaw and Hush Arbors who adorned and embellished the sounds with a wider array of instrumentation. Most noticeably absent from this album though is the gorgeous soothing tones of Andria Degen's; the sole vocal contribution on Up With The Moon belongs to Olivia Louvel, whose airy harmonies waft amidst her textured electronics and the plucked chime of Pantaleimon's Appalachian dulcimer on the ethereal 'To The In Between'. Based around Louvel's 'to*' from her 2012 album ō, music for haiku this has been a long gestating collaboration with the French born electronic sound artist now beautifully realised with dulcimer layers added by Pantaleimon in 2022.

The title track, the first of two mood setting piano instrumentals, gently sways and pauses between quietly played chords and notes, opening up and flowering into a tumbling piano score with melodic passages. The track is in memory of Ryuichi Sakamoto. 'Taking Our Time', the other piano track, is more intimate, and so much so you feel part of a close gathering of friends and family in a sitting room listening intently to the unfolding melodic chiming piano chords and notes.

Up With The Moon is brought to a close with 'Coming Home' featuring the rich, warm drone of the Indian harmonium. It's reminiscent of the instrumental version of 'Change My World' from their 2007 EP, and in many ways that's quite apt as much of Up With The Moon channels the intimacy of their earlier solo work. Following an extended break, it marks a gorgeous return which captures the essence of Pantaleimon's minimalist, meditative music. Up With The Moon is such a refreshing listen. Outdoors under the glow of the moon might be the best listening conditions but however you hear this, let it flow over and within you and you're guaranteed to feel much better afterwards. Up With The Moon is available digitally and as a limited CD available from Pantaleimon bandcamp