Secret Eye 
Auto Da Fe : The Spectre (US,2006)***°
Martin Kvisvic and Tara Tavi from Amps For Christ also formed a duo, Auto Da Fe, since 2000. The group had no real earlier release, with exception of one track on a compilation.
This release sounds very much like a fictive travel through exotic or foreign areas with interpretations of the idea of medieval (“Past Times”), Middle Eastern or semi-Eastern (mostly Chinese), and a few other country related styles. On “Little Alili” and in a few other places the songs are almost like temple ritual songs. In general everything sounds like a journey in the mind, as a creation of a personal imagination and expressions, with a story to tell. I very much like the improvisations on zither, accompanied by electric or acoustic bass and percussion on "Mao Meow" and with Chinese flutes on "The Spectre" and later on "Just slow". Especially on "Just Slow", like elsewhere, this powerful zither playing keeps alive the tensions and almost manic energy with the feeling of visionary exploration and travel. The interpretation to where the mind went can become really something odd and weird, because they are a bit more part of the mind and its intuitive interpretation form. The Middle Eastern flavour on "Bao Ba Cha" is actually a moody off-key oddity. "Ne'er do will" after this also is a nightmarish lullaby with an off-keyed "I-will become-a-Chinese (tuned)" tension. The sinister aspects of exotism are even continued in the track after this, "Undun", even when at the same time all its unique beauty finishes the expression, here with very nice vocal arrangements. "Huar Weishenme" sounds a like a reinterpretation of a Jewish melody, but seems to originate from a Chinese melody. "Tea House Tragedy" is another Chinese tuned melody (?) and is a very nice chamber-(anti)-folk interpretation of it, from which I received the idea of naming this 'free-world chamberfolk'. The new combinations of instruments and tunings, like also on "Monkeyking" often sound very clever, pretty brilliant and vivid. Mostly the songs, which are often with female vocals are switched with instrumentals, which makes the album accessible to listen to. "Dynasty of Drums" is the track closest to Amps for Christ, because it uses experimental electric noise (from guitar?), with drumming and the sweet vocals from Tara. Some spheres referring to a few Western countries conclude the album. "Sophie" is a slumbering half-remembering going-to-sleep version of a Greek tune (with balalaika,..), while the pipes and tin drums on "Neptune Society Ball" bring the Scottish highlands in mind, in another long lost and gone memory, fading out in colours in a trance-vision.
Instruments used on this album are :
Tara : guzheng, yang qin, marimba, Tibetan cymbals, tambur, Chinese banjo ; Martin : bowed instruments (like double bass,..), bouzouki, balalaika, guitar, bass, recorder, sampling. Additional help was delivered by Paul Stewart, vocals, gothic harp, Joel Connell, drums and tablas, Aaron Conell, bass, Henry Barnes, guitar, Sandor Fintor, drums, David Nelson, horn.
The related group Amps For Christ is reviewed on next page->
