Review: Karda Estra - New Worlds (2011)

Artist: Karda Estra
Album: New Worlds
Year: 2011
Label: Self released/Believers Roast

Review: Diego Camargo

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Thoughts: Karda Estra is an unusual band. In fact, they’re not really a band. Karda Estra is the brainchild of Richard Wileman and their music is pretty much based on Chamber music and Soundtrack music.

Last month they released their last effort, Mondo Pronfondo (2013) (that will be reviewed soon too) and as a big bonus their previous album New Worlds (2011) was added to the CD. So I decided to review both albums separately.

New Worlds (2011) starts and if you have never heard Karda Estra before, you will notice from the very beginning that they’re different. Their music is all about emotion and atmospheres. The intro to the album ‘Chronoclasm I’ and the follow up track ‘Transmissions’ are here to show that. Don’t expect any regular Prog band.
The great thing in this ‘double’ CD is the notes in the booklet by Wileman himself where he explains each track in detail.
‘Fifty Below Zero’ follows and you start to notice that New Worlds (2011) is all about Sci-fi. On this track you can hear many vocals and more unusual instruments such as the clarinet. But for Karda Estra this is one of the most normal instruments.

The album is carried by ‘Eternity Station’ that seems to be a little short or cut in half, exactly as in the previous one. Here we have some weird keyboards and a heavy atmosphere, a space feeling.It could easily be used in any documentary about the Space.
Changing a bit the pace and showing Bossa Nova influences we have ‘Girls In A Spaceship’. Then we have a track with vocals by Ileesha Bailey, called ‘Sea Of Tranquility’. ‘The Sky Below’ is gothic and by this time you have noticed for sure that New Worlds (2011), as the name suggests, is all about the Space.

‘Radiance’ is Bossa Nova once again and ‘The Doll’s House’ is a bit more classical with vocals and led by a clever piano. ‘The Celestial Lounge’ has unusual instruments once again with e-bow guitar, violin, oboe and a… toy piano. ‘Invaders From Venus’ has a saxophone as the main voice of the track and it’s a bit more upbeat. A very good track.
The album closes as it began with ‘Chronoclasm II’. A good ending.

Karda Estra is not for every moment and certainly not for everybody. Richard Wileman is a big soundtrack fan and his music shows it. Sometimes tracks seem to be cut in half, like unfinished works, which is weird.
New Worlds (2011) is like a soundtrack. And I would say that it has a concept, although the album is not really conceptual.

If you’re a fan of soundtracks and bands like Goblin you should jump in on Karda Estra’s music.

The band was included in our Podcast #22 and you can listen the track 'On Those Cloudy Days' HERE.