What people are saying about Skylight...
I released my 4th Elskavon album, Skylight, on January 26th. It was a joy to create and it's even greater joy to hear others impacted by it. I'm so grateful for anyone who's taken the time to listen. Thought I'd put together a little compilation of selected press and playlists:
PIANO & COFFEE ALBUM REVIEW
"Skylight by Elskavon is a true work of art in the medium of sound, and Bartels’ patience and loving labor have paid off more so than he may realize. We can only hope that the next installment in Elskavon’s discography will be equally grandiose, but until then, it will be more than enough to relish every minute of Skylight as we wait."
FINE POP AND THE PIANO INTERVIEW
"...we're baring witness to something profoundly personal, something richer than gloss and polish."
DRIFTING, ALMOST FALLING ALBUM REVIEW
"Throughout the album Bartels uses different styles of music to keep the listener entertained. Is it Ambient? Electronica? Drone? Post Rock? Modern Classical? Experimental? Well, the answer is yes and no. The tracks can contain all or just some of these genres which allows the music to not be pigeonholed and rewards deeper repeated listening."
STATIONARY TRAVELS VIDEO PREMIERE
"When Chris Bartels chose the name for his Elskavon project he formed a neologism from a pair of Icelandic words – elska meaning “love” and von meaning “hope”). It was not only a message he would weave into his compositions, but a nod in the direction of Sigur Ros, one of his key influences when he started to write ambient music."
"That mix of practicality and musical creativity lends the record an honest, personal feeling. There is a moment at the end of a lovely piano solo on “Offers of Peace,” where Bartels’ piano bench squeaks as he shifts his weight. It reminds us that we haven’t just heard a beautiful composition, we’ve heard the recording of a richly nuanced performance and all the ambient sound that comes with it."
"If you want to penetrate acoustically in other dimensions, put the new Elskavon album to your heart."
"Over time though, these visual repositories for the small milestones that shape the course of our lives take on a much greater significance, sometimes ending up as the only memory aid we have left to remember them. Listening to Skylight is tantamount to flicking through such a photo album."
