Esmerine – Dalmak

Initially, the first outing from Constellation mainstays Esmerine since 2011’s La Lechuza signals no departures from their chamber sound: opener Learning to Crawl is a subtle, meditative string-led piece. The LP title, however – a Turkish verb meaning to contemplate or be absorbed within – indicates a new trajectory for the Montreal quartet, who recorded much of Dalmak in Istanbul, where they collaborated with local musicians. The resulting record perfectly balances Esmerine’s darkly ambient leanings with folk rhythms and instrumentation.

It’s a blend that works most effectively on Dalmak’s two-part tracks, Lost River Blues and Translator’s Clos: the former builds from a swamp of strings and marimba into a rocky, lolloping crescendo; the latter is a more grandiose epic, drawing upon classical Turkish instruments including bendir, darbuka and erbane. In lesser hands, fusing Eastern and Western traditions in this way can have cringey results, but Esmerine mesh them together seamlessly.