JONATHAN CASEY

Elegies JONATHANWCASEY.BANDCAMP.COM

M-Opus man’s soundtrack composing work.

Best known in prog circles from his symphonic project M-Opus, Jonathan Casey has made a living over the past decade or more as a composer of TV, film and ad themes, particularly in his native Ireland. That’s the work that’s been collected on this particular release, and while grand lyrical concepts and 19/8 time signatures might be thin on the ground, he captivates very effectively without them.

Unsurprisingly, Casey is particularly skilled in weaving elements of traditional Irish music into the widescreen, orchestral swells he conjures, as showcased on Rebellions, while a haunting cello swathed intro to Snowflakes On Flames sets the scene for a folk lament laced with medieval chants and instrumentation that recalls the gothic symphonies of Dead Can Dance.

Elsewhere, flowing waves of undulating piano figures push Hunter along, before they’re accompanied by a gentle steamship chug of strings, channelling Philip Glass’ way of turning a simple melodic motif into something hypnotically beautiful. Even without seeing the moving pictures that colour it all, it’s richly evocative stuff.