Michael Cretu, the man who singlehandedly invented an entire genre, is back with the sixth Enigma album: and it's back to basics following the more pop-oriented nature of the previous album, Voyageur, an offering that left fans and critics divided. The shades of europop that tended to overshadow Voyageur have been eschewed and here we have a subtle but powerful odyssey of sound that's almost like a soundtrack to the birth of the universe. Intended as a journey through time and space, Cretu has woven an exquisite musical tapestry. The best way to think of this album is as an electronic symphony. The vocals are only sporadic this time, with the first half almost entirely devoid of lyrics. There's an organic feel to the music, as though the music itself is alive: living and breathing, morphing through different emotions and moods as it grows and expands.
More than any of the Enigma albums since the ground-breaking debut, MCMXC AD, there's a sense of space and minimalism that pervades A Posteriori. This is not a collection of songs: rather it's one long piece of music that seamlessly segues through its different movements. The cohesiveness is offset by the depth of sound and emotion: from the atmospherically down-tempo opening track `Eppur Si Muove' and the beautiful and otherworldly ballad `Sitting on the Moon' to the frenetic `Feel Me Heaven' and the stunning tour de force that is `Dancing with Mephisto'; the moods and emotions are interwoven and juxtaposed with incredible finesse. The production is about as good as it gets: this album HAS to be listened to with headphones...apparently a surround sound audio DVD is being released later in the year: I can only imagine how awesome that will sound.
A Posteriori is something special: it's a stunning, exhilarating rollercoaster of sound and emotion that's invigorating, sensual and, by the time the strangely beautiful lullaby `Goodbye Milky Way' ends the journey, is also quite moving. This is the cutting edge of music: it dispenses with the formulaic cut-and-paste mentality that is deadening the music industry and explores a different terrain...on in which the music itself is alive and allowed to unfold of its own accord, gently guided by an overarching vision and purpose. `Follow me, come and feel infinity, eternity...'