Guitarist
Milos Karadaglic, generally using just his first name these days, has recorded several albums drawing on rock music. His 2016 release,
Blackbird, offered guitar versions of
Beatles songs, for example, and given the complexity of those, they weren't much of a stretch from classical repertory. However,
Sound of Silence is something else; it ventures into new territory and helps
Karadaglic carve out a place in the crowded classical guitar field. The slightly altered song that provides the album's title is here, as are
Nights in White Satin from the
Moody Blues and the crossover standard
Over the Rainbow, the latter arranged by
Toru Takemitsu and featuring the shell-like Japanese hang instrument. There are also several works, as usual with
Milos, from the Spanish classical guitar repertory, and one song,
Famous Blue Raincoat, by
Leonard Cohen. Most of the pop items, though, come from the world of alternative rock, something
Milos' contemporaries have largely not done. This has occurred not just because songs like the
Magnetic Fields'
The Book of Love have entered the repertory of standards, even in
Milos' native country of Montenegro, but also because they fit what the guitarist is trying to accomplish. They don't have sharp tonic-dominant contrasts, and they reward
Milos' smooth textures and arrangements for a small complement of strings and sometimes a piano or saxophone. Sample
Portishead's
Sour Times for a good representation.
Decca's sound environment, created at Abbey Road Studios, is ideal. This is crossover guitar music, and the pieces in the main have similar textures and tempos. If that's what you're looking for, you'll find
Sound of Silence fresh and engaging. ~ James Manheim