arovane: lilies

Arovane's third album on vinyl for the first time in almost two decades. Arovane's acclaimed 2004 album Lilies has been out-of-print on vinyl for nearly two decades. Lilies was a follow-up to Tides in every sense, exploring a trip to Japan and drawing on shimmering textures and the sort of melodies that you might need some time to recover from. There's a hugely evocative sense to these tracks, emotionally driven, free of complexity or conceit, piano melodies providing the central focus for a twilight cascade of light that seems perfect for the Tokyo skyline -- just as the sun sets. It's an album that radiates warmth and vulnerability, fusing the technological might at the heart of each track (and at the heart of the city) with an age-old understanding that certain echoes of sound, small melodic changes and cushioned lullabies can imprint sounds on your mind like childhood memories -- remembered forever. Like a dreamlike score, or maybe even an alternate soundtrack to Lost in Translation (2003) -- the sort of music that intertwines with images and stays in your mind indefinitely. After coming back from Tokyo and completing the production of Lilies, Uwe Zahn disassembled his studio in the big flat in an old building in Berlin's Prenzlauerberg district and stored it away in boxes. He needed a break from making music. Lilies was the last album prior to a nine-year hiatus for Arovane, ending in 2013 with the release of Ve Palor. All tracks composed and recorded by Uwe Zahn. Vocals on "Pink Lilies" by kazumi. Originally released on City Centre Offices in 2004. Remaster and cut by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering. Cover art by Jim Kühnel based on a photograph by Uwe Zahn. Die-cut sleeve; poly-lined inners; includes download code; edition of 500.