Antonymes 'The Licence to Interpret Dreams' – The Silent Ballet

Excerpt: “The Licence To Interpret Dreams is a captivating yet lethargic album, slowly layering simple parts as a means of carrying the listener along, creating a hazy and ambiguous sense of place, dreamlike in its contours… Rich with imagery from the song titles and the striking album art, Antonymes’ work still manages to convey a sense of vagueness and ambiguity, making the references to dreams carry more weight. A dreamlike logic, or better, perhaps, a counterlogic, guides the trajectory of the album… Hazeldine is certainly a thoughtful craftsman, and he seems to realize that his work is best received when it is given room to breathe, when its elements are not closed to interpretation.. With an emphasis on piano and strings, along with swirling textures providing a backdrop (and at times even steering), Antonymes is at his most beautiful and coherent yet… The Licence to Interpret Dreams is a majestic testament to a talent that is fully realized… Hazeldine’s work is distinct, yet the parts remain hazy in one’s memory, dreamlike… the packaging of this releases demonstrates a careful eye for detail and an appreciation for extramusical symbolism, and the music itself often demonstrates the restraint and contrasts of the artwork, the textures combining in ways that could be called ‘painterly’ without too much of a stretch… The compositions seem designed to engulf the listener, to transport them to another place, or at least, to carry them along on the journey. This requires an abandonment that ambient music doesn’t necessarily require.”

The Silent Ballet