Lovéren / Loveren

Lovéren finds David Arkenstone working with Charlee Brooks, a singer/songwriter who not only takes a prominent position on the album's cover but helps give the record a focal point, keeping the record from drifting off into the ether and grounding it in recognizable human emotion. Arkenstone may often be stereotyped for his shimmering surfaces but Lovéren has some measure of grit to it, or at least a human heart: this is not music meant for an astral plane, it's designed for the present. Brooks' voice intertwines effortlessly with Arkenstone's sparkling surfaces and all of Lovéren shimmers, telling a musical tale that retains some overarching narrative thrust even when it doesn't make literal sense. It remains something of a spectral piece — it deliberate conjures the sound and sensibility of another time — but there's enough mystery to not only keep Lovéren intriguing but worth revisiting.