On all accounts Heinali & Matt Finney's first 2010 EP
Town Line was a somber affair; to match the scathing political war commentary of spoken word artist Mathew Finney, (of ambient/experimental duo Finneyerkes) Ukrainian born and self taught ambient composer Heinali provided bountiful amounts of diverse symphonic textures, all to truly heartbreaking degrees. Despite it's deceptively pleasant name, the pair's second 2010 EP entitled
Lemonade sees Finney getting dangerously personal-- with himself. And all to the backdrop of a beautifully bleak ambient soundscape.
In many ways
Lemonadeis musically an expansion of the sound that was presented on the
Town Line EP; while still retaining a strong sense of classical elements Heinali has become known for, the seamless inclusion of post-rock, industrial and shoegaze influences contribute to what make this album a true long player. Third track "End Of July" is certainly the best example of Heinali's ability to cohesively combine several genres in the length of a single song; amidst the cry of mourning cellos, a simple, melodic, and tremolo picked guitar lead permeates the engulfing atmosphere, backed by the steady, mechanical beat of programmed drums. Ironically enough, it is title track "Lemonade" that breaks the albums mold, maintaining itself as a masterful exercise in the emotion driven classical ambient that dominated the duo's previous outing.
Although war was the aforementioned topic of subject on the Town Line EP, Lemonade sees poetic mastermind Matt Finney totally reinventing his approach, this time, making himself the prime target of his often strongly worded criticisms. "The Dream" details a story of misplaced trust, where instead of using an angry or vehement tone, Finney calmly lets his words do all the talking:
"The ones i claimed to be heroes ended up being drunks or addicts/ Ended up putting guns in their mouths or tying ropes around their necks so i built walls instead." Other tracks such as "Repeated" (told from third person) deals with ones self realization of who they really are, an epiphany that makes visible all the hurt, anguish and hatred they've planted in others. Despite the fact that Finney for the entirety of the EP delivers his poetic phrases in a soft, monotone and seemingly emotionless voice, his words are so strong, they are easily made believable.
Lemonade is an collaboration to be held in the highest regards; from Heinali's off the wall, eclectic compositions to Finney's harrowing delivery and wording it is clear that these two share a special connection that will hopefully continue for a long, long time.
