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The Alisa Coral story began somewhere in the late 90s in Moscow when she played bass and keyboards in a variety of local heavy-metal bands. That music appeared to stifle Alisa, and she pursued a solo career in 2001. Few recordings were produced at her newly equipped home-studio. It was a surprising departure from metal intensity and from guitar-oriented music in general. Instead, she worked primary with synthesizers, creating cold, sorrowful and sometimes sinister ambience not so far from gothic-industrial and post-industrial exercises. In August 2002, SPACE MIRRORS were born, an “Infernal Apocalyptic Space Rock” duo of Alisa Coral and Australian guitarist Michael Blackman (ALIEN DREAM) which put out a string of remarkably intense albums with internationally acclaimed guest-performers: multi-instrumentalist Arjen Lucassen (AYREON, STAR ONE), bassist Martin Litmus (LITMUS), vocalists Metatron (THE MEADS OF ASPHODEL) and Martyr Lucifer (HORTUS ANIMAE), saxophonist Nik Turner (of HAWKWIND and SPACE RITUAL fame) among others. Launched in 2008, Alisa Coral’s newest project PSI CORPS lies somewhere in between various aesthetics: dark rock, kraut rock, progressive rock, experimental and cinematic ambient.
Alisa Coral is also a sound engineer and sound producer for various bands and projects. She has been working with KALUTALIKSUAK, VESPERO, RUSHUS, THE LUST, JET JAGUAR (USA), and GUILD NAVIGATORS (USA). Bands and artists interested in cooperation can contact Alisa at SPACE MIRRORS official homepage.
Psi Corps / "Tekeli-li" A Soundtrack to the Adventures of A.G.Pym (2009) / CD $11.00
After three albums under the name SPACE MIRRORS, Alisa Coral launched a new musical project PSI CORPS. The debut album "Tekeli-li" was written, recorded and produced by Coral, dedicated to the memory of Edgar Allan Poe, and inspired by his novel “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket”. Michael Blackman (of ALIEN DREAM), yet another co-founder of SPACE MIRRORS, played all guitars and co-wrote several tracks. The duo has taken more experimental approach with this album, combining hard edged space-rock of the earlier works with abstract elements of cinematic music. Vocals have been completely abandoned this time as well as notable guest appearances. Coral and Blackman have amazing talent of introducing memorable synthesizer harmonies and guitar hook lines into their music. Conceived as a soundtrack, "Tekeli-li" is more focused on the scenes and characters behind a structure. As a whole, it sounds misty, obscured and rarefied, though in excitingly familiar manner. (6 tracks - 53 min.)
PRESS CLIPS
"Scoring a soundtrack to film is one thing but attempting to create images and feelings from a text can be equally, if not more challenging, but I have to say they have done a remarkable job with their music in capturing the overall feeling of Poe's writing style. Without delving into the story too much, which would be working on the assumption that the listener has read Poe's tale, the six compositions are basically titled around the actual chapters of the book. In a nutshell its based on the central character Pym, whose adventures and misfortunes at sea include shipwrecks, mutiny and cannibalism. Sound interesting? The first track 'Party at Barnard's (Is Over)' deals with Pym's drunken evening with his friend Augustus Barnard, prior to them sailing out on Pym's small boat the Ariel, which later capsizes during a violent storm at sea. The mood on this relatively composed opening piece of music perfectly sets the tone as Coral's delicate synth washes and rather erratic drum rhythm's give off the feeling of someone stumbling around in a slowly advancing state of inebriation. Whereas 'On Board the Ariel' finds the tempos picking up speed, allowing Blackman plenty of opportunity on this ten minute track to carve out some memorable and spacey guitar lines, highlighted by more of Coral's unique synth textures. Close your eyes and let this trippy music wrap firmly around the mental images of Pym and his friend being tossed about on the rough waters and you'll find yourself right there along with them. 'On Board the Grampus' signifies the duo's second adventure at sea, this time aboard the whaling ship the Grampus. Coral and Blackman's fantastic interplay, creates an ominous feeling of heightened tensions as the ship undergoes a violent mutiny which eventually results in Barnard's death. The fourth track 'Tsalal' is certainly one of the high points of this disc and quite possibly my favorite overall as well. The track begins with a brief, frantic synth passage before Coral lay's down an infectious tribal sounding electronic drum pattern, and Blackman seriously kicks things up a notch with a plethora of searing leads and equally scorching slide work. This engaging composition shifts gears a few times but the duo keeps the gloriously intense, psychedelic themes flowing for the full duration. The album concludes with the epic, thirteen minute title track which succeeds largely because it captures many different moods while it undergoes a myriad of various themeatic changes. Blackman's jagged guitar work is front and center once again, but Coral offsets this nicely with her spooky textures which are performed on the theremin. All in all this is another standout track and a wonderful way to draw things to a close. Psi Corps have crafted a truly masterful opening statement with Tekeli-li, as both Alisa Coral and Michael Blackman prove once again why they are at the forefront of the kraut/ prog/ space rock scene. This album has taken their creative abilities to new levels. If you've read Poe's story that's great, because here's an excuse to dust it off and perhaps revisit it while you let Tekeli-li provide some aural background accompaniment. If you haven't read it, that's no big deal, it's not like it's a prerequisite or anything that might prevent you from getting the maximum results out of the music. All you really need to do is kick back, let your creative impulses flow and allow these two splendidly talented musicians to take you away from the real world for an hour. (Score: 4,5/5)" – by Ryan Sparks of Sea Of Tranquility (USA) (May 2009).
"Highly accomplished and very well imagined suite of composition." – by Ian Abrahams of Spacerock Reviews (UK) (June 2009).
"The beauty of this soundtrack is that it allows to listener to imagine to himself whatever scenario in his head and to perceive the sounds and interpret them according to his own taste and personality. This soundtrack presents groovy and cool psychedelic/space-rock/electronics and daydream inducing musical imageries." – by Assaf Vestin of Sonic Frontiers (USA) (July 2009).
"Tekili-li – the title refers to the sound birds featured prominently in the story make, also a symbol for the more and more lost connection to reality in the narrative – is a chiller in many ways. It has a brooding, dark quality that ebbs and flows forth during the course of the album and makes for an intense listening pleasure. Moreover it fits nicely into the retro-hype that Tangerine Dream seem to have lately... You have to be a mighty fast reader to make this soundtrack work to go along with the story while reading it. Even though the six pieces on here are quite longish, reading will take you longer than that. And you might miss out on some of the cool spooky nooding of Blackman and Coral." – by Georg Gartlgruber of Monochrom-Cracked (Austria) (November 2009).
"Tekeli-li is a very successful musical interpretation of the adventures and fantastic horrors the Poe’s hero goes through at the South Sea. Maybe Psi Corps could next concentrate on some of the works by H.P. Lovecraft?" – by Dj Astro of Psychotropic Zone (Finland).
The album was also reviewed at: Progressive Ears (USA), DisAgreement (Luxemburg), Progressive Area (France), Metal Library (Russia), Progwereld (The Netherlands), Psychotropic Zone's interview with Alisa Cora (Finland), Far From Moscow (USA).
Alisa Coral's Neutron Star (2002/2005) / CD $11.00
“The album is a sort of soundtrack to the imaginary journey through the stars: the music reflects that happening somewhere deep in the Universe.” – Alisa on the album. Though fairly positioned as “the space synth music album in a style similar to early Tangerine Dream, Tim Blake and Harvey Bainbridge”, this is far from being just another reproduction of Klaus Schulze and Edgar Froeze sci-fi electronic legacy. Moving throughout reflective droning pieces with smooth and slow developments – some are deep sequenced and rhythmically organized, others are long on atmosphere – Alisa reveals herself as a distinctive and captivating story-telling composer. While others are more interested in demonstrating their skills in using an instrument, she concentrates on creating strange spatial textures rich in experimental timbres and sinister overtones which could refer to post-industrialism in the vein of Steve Roach or even Dirk Serries. The effect of these drifting flows is truly mesmerizing: if listeners let their attention wander for a while, they could compile a route-chart of their trip in a celestial map of the Universe. Splendid mood music lovingly re-mastered and re-issued on CD with a bonus track in 2005. (7 tracks - 75 min.)
PRESS CLIPS
"Unlike many new age artists who aspire to capture the mysteries of the universe with sweeping layers of sampled string instruments, Alisa Coral’s combination of analog and digital synthesizers provide a texture of ominous drones, eerie modulating echoes, washes of ambient soundscapes, and sequenced blips and beeps to give a trancelike heartbeat and Voice to the expanding galaxy." – by Joseph Shingler of ProgNaut (USA) (May 2007).
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| CD | $11.00 | |
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| CD | $14.00 | |
| CD | $14.00 | |
| CD | $11.00 |
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