Music Box Opera by Delerium

After years of success with their Symphonic series, Delerium returns with Music Box Opera. This collection of 13 tracks features the classic Delerium sound with a modern twist.

Introduction

Delerium is a Canadian musical duo that specializes in the new-age, ambient, and electronica genres. The band is composed of Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber. Music Box Opera is the eighth studio album by Delerium, released on October 30, 2012 by Nettwerk. It is the first album to feature new vocalist Mike Stark.

History

Music Box Opera is the seventh studio album by Delerium, released on October 2, 2012 through Metropolis Records. The album features guest vocalists including Nadina, Rani Kamal, Stef Lang, and Emily Haines of Metric. The album was preceded by the release of the single “Days Turn Into Nights”, on September 11, 2012.

Origins

Delerium’s musical history began in 1987 as a side project of the influential industrial band Front Line Assembly. Bill Leeb had been focusing on writing electronic dance music after leaving Skinny Puppy, and decided to create a new musical project with Rhys Fulber. The duo released their first album, Faces Forms and Illusions, under the name Delerium in 1991; it was followed by Semantic Spaces in 1994. Later that year, Fulber left Front Line Assembly and Delerium became his primary musical focus.

Development

Delerium’s eighth studio album, Music Box Opera, was released on October 30, 2012. The album featured several guest vocalists, including Nadina, Sarah McLachlan, Nieman, and Rani Kamal. Pemberton stated in an interview with ReGen Magazine that the album was influenced by his time spent working on soundtracks for film and television.

Pemberton stated that the album was “a bit more orchestral” than previous Delerium albums, and that it was “a meeting point of where [he] come[s] from and where [he]’s at now”. Music Box Opera debuted at number one on the US Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart, making it the band’s first album to do so. The album’s lead single, “Monarch”, was released on September 4, 2012.

Music

Delerium’s album “Music Box Opera” is an excellent choice for those who enjoy Operatic and Symphonic metal. The tracks are beautiful, and the lyrics are powerful. The album contains a variety of tracks, ranging from light and airy to dark and melancholic. There is something for everyone on this album.

Structure

The album is a concept album, with each song telling the story of a different character living in a music box. All of the songs on the album flow together, with bridges and interludes connecting them. The album has a mix of styles, with some songs being more electronic and others being more acoustic. There is also a variety of instrumentation used, including keyboards, guitars, drums, and violins.

Notation

Music notation or musical notation is any system used to visualise aurally perceived music played with instruments or sung by the human voice through the use of written symbols, including ancient or modern musical symbols. Types and methods of notation have varied between cultures and throughout history, and much information about ancient music notation is fragmentary or lost.

Instruments

Music Box Opera by Delerium is a beautiful and touching album. The instruments used in this album are a perfect compliment to the emotions conveyed by the music. Each note is placed perfectly and the arrangement of the instruments is masterful.

Traditional

There are two different types of instruments in the album, Traditional and Electronic. Traditional instruments are the more common acoustic instruments that have been around for centuries such as guitars, drums, and keyboards. Electronic instruments are digital devices that create sounds using electricity. They became popular in music in the late 20th century.

Modern

Music Box Opera by Delerium is a beautifully crafted album that relies on a wide array of instrumentation to create its unique sound. While the album contains some traditional instrumentation, such as violins and cellos, it also incorporates more modern instrumentation, such as synthesizers and drum machines. This variety of instrumentation gives the album a broad sonic palette that helps to create its lush, ethereal soundscape.

Performances

Music Box Opera is a musical theatre show written and composed by Delerium. The musical had its world premiere at the Dublin Fringe Festival in September 2011. The show is a retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, with a dash of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Venues

Delerium’s Music Box Opera World Tour will be hitting some of the biggest venues across the globe. From sold out arenas to outdoor amphitheaters, there’s a show for everyone. Check out the list of tour dates below to see when Delerium will be coming to a city near you.

North America
May 3 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
May 5 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
May 7 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
May 9 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
May 11 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
May 13 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre

Recordings

The first studio album in six years from Canadian electronic duo Delerium, Music Box Opera finds the group mining a more pop-oriented sound than they have in the past. This is evident from the outset on lead single “Monarch,” whose soaring chorus and anthemic production calls to mind similar material by contemporaries like Above & Beyond and BT. Elsewhere, Delerium explore a more dreamy, ethereal sound on tracks like “Underwater” and “Chrysalis Heart,” both of which showcase the airy vocals of one-time collaborator Sarah McLachlan. ~ James Christopher Monger

Repertoire

The album includes a mix of genres, including electronica, trip hop, worldbeat and new-age.

See also

Delerium is a Canadian musical duo that formed in 1987, originally consisting of Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber. Over the years they have undergone several lineup changes, with Leeb being the only constant member. The band’s name was taken from a sample in the song “Echo” by The Art of Noise.

Delerium’s music style has ranged from ambient and industrial in the early 1990s to ethereal dream pop and trance-inspired electronica in more recent years. They are perhaps best known for their hit single “Silence”, which won a Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording in 1999.

References

– Music Box Opera by Delerium at Amazon.com
– Music Box Opera by Delerium at iTunes
– Music Box Opera by Delerium at CD Baby
– Music Box Opera by Delerium at Last.fm

External links

External links

Music Box Opera on AllMusic
Music Box Opera on Discogs
Music Box Opera at Delerium.ca