"A Sorrow Unrequited is a short but gorgeous collaboration between Frizzell & Duque, comprised of five minimalist explorations of high-fidelity sound. Each piece begins with the statement of a simple melody, which repeats throughout as additional layers accumulate, slowly teasing out new melodies. Rather than linger in the imperfections of media, as so many artists who work with repetition tend to do, instead the duo pursue an attention to fidelity that forces them to get the fine details just right.
The duo are likely better known by their monikers zakè and City of Dawn, under which they released their previous collaboration, An Eternal Moment Hidden Away. That A Sorrow Unrequited bears their surnames perhaps suggests the more personal nature of this collaboration. Zach Frizzell has built up an impressive discography in a few short years, exploring orchestral music in various guises. He is also the man behind Past Inside the Present, a label which has distinguished itself for their expansive catalog of immersive music. City of Dawn is Damien Duque, a multi-instrumentalist who produces expressive ambient soundscapes. Their two styles blend very naturally, complementing each other.
Unrequited love is a common theme, sorrow less so. What does it mean instead when a feeling of sorrow is not returned? While this might suggest a dreary mood, to the contrary A Sorrow Unrequited is calmly uplifting. There are moments of melancholy, but more often the steady ebb and flow of sound cultivates a profound sense of meditative stasis. The titles all come from a poem written by Julia Frizzell, evoking passing time and lessons humbly learned. The principle melodies are slow, faintly familiar enough to suggest a sense of nostalgia, but difficult enough to grasp that their steady evolution substitutes for narrative structure.
The artists take pleasure in soothing textures, avoiding sudden shifts or abrasive sonorities. There is a refined elegance to these five tracks, making the 33:33 runtime feel much shorter. Yet A Sorrow Unrequited rewards repeat listens, feeling comfortably familiar while always revealing fresh perspectives. A gentle, consonant palette of strings is given depth by the low end frequencies of a synth. The occasional moments of dissonance bring a slight tension in bright contrast to the mellow synth melodies or plaintive piano marking time.
Frizzell & Duque transform unadorned inputs into beautiful complexity. One is reminded of Brian Eno’s Discreet Music (1975), less for the title piece as “Three Variations on the Canon in D Major by Johann Pachebel,” a reorchestration playing with various permutations (pitch, tempo, note length) of small fragments of the score. Rather than developing shifting patterns, the minimalism heard on A Sorrow Unrequited explores the timbral effects of gradual shifts in density, waves of sound almost imperceptibly carrying the melody from one instrument to another. There is a graceful poetry to the cadence of each track, reminding us that silences are as important to communication as sound." -Joseph Sannicandro, Sound Propositions // Contributing Writer for A Closer Listen
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“Fans of slow-evolving orchestral ambience will absolutely love this new collaboration between the Past Inside The Present label owner, Zach Frizzell and Damien Duque, also known as zakè and City of Dawn, for which they drop their project monikers and team up as simply Frizzell & Duque.
On these five, slowly evolving pieces of A Sorrow Unrequited, the duo manipulate chamber instruments alongside reverb saturated pads and swelling bass to compose a symphony of ebbing music. Unlike some undertakings, where artists would sample their classical records and loop through the passages sculpting the sound, the modern classical elements of this record appear to be cleaner and pure.
I praise this pristine production, where every each instrument finds a home, in a wonderful fusion of ambient, neo-classical, and meditation music. In a closer listening session, intricate layers of sonics blanket the surface of wave-kissing shores; while in a passive attention-softening seance, A Sorrow Unrequited comforts and lulls.
The release is an interpretation of a poem by the same name, written by Julia Frizzell. Here’s a quote of the first stanza, “Fragile dreams while we are growing old / For we once believed we owned the sky / Spread endlessly before us / Lie shallow at our feet //”
I’ve played this on repeat consecutive times, and I keep coming back to the album, as I’m sure you will too. I recommend that you grab this on vinyl.” -HEADPHONE COMMUTE
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“It's not just a clever name. Zake and City of Dawn have come up with a record that genuinely sounds like the reflective moods that so often follow great loss, realised on record. Sweeping synth-strings on 'We Once Believed We Owned The Sky' only serving to reiterate the sense of lamentation that seems to pervade every corner of this album.
Sometimes looking back on what was but will never be again is the only real way of making ourselves feel better - by connecting to intensely emotional memories we can trigger an outpouring that's truly cathartic. As if following that pattern, Frizzell & Duque: A Sorry Unrequited is a strangely uplifting experience by the time we're listening to the closing bars of 'The Sparrow's Flight', even if that's only because of the sense that others have the capacity to feel the same as we do.” -Juno Records
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"Frizzell and Duque, better known as zakè and City Of Dawn, further extend their already impressive catalogue of music with the sublime ‘A Sorrow Unrequited’. The joy of ambient music is its ability to provide the listener with a pathway to quiet contemplation. These two musicians take the listener on an aural journey, a musical interpretation of the beautiful poem of the same name written by Julia Frizzell. A Sorrow Unrequited showcases the beauty of the modern classical/ambient genre, and the talent of these two artists is on full display. Music that is truly timeless and enduring." -Brian Hogan
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“Haunting, ravishing and profound. These five pieces of loop-based orchestral and synth ambient from American duo Frizzell & Duque (aka Zakè and City Of Dawn) sound like scores for dark, epic films that don’t exist but which somehow we already know. I’m going to rattle off the titles of every track because they capture the poetry of this music better than I ever could: “We Once Believed We Owned The Sky”, “Fragile Dreaming In A Fragile Mind”, “A Sorrow Unrequited”, “Closer, Always Closer”, “The Sparrow’s Flight”. Get the picture? -ambientmusicguide.com
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Written and produced by Frizzell (zakè) & Duque (City of Dawn) Mastered at Schwebung Mastering (Germany) by Stephan Mathieu 'A Sorrow Unrequited' poem by Julia Frizzell Design and assemblage by zakè
I got the mystery tape box specifically the "your getting tons of tapes" tier
and it didnt disappoint at all packaged securely overdelivered in the best way in terms of content and didnt take long to get here ,it was exciting to finally see what i got, genuinely made my day when it came in the post, a massive 22 tape package and so far every tape ive listened to has been really really good! Quality all the way, and if anyone was on the fence about getting it, well dont be, go for it you wont be disappointed .
Major respect to whoever curates the box, excellent choices!!
I Usually never leave reviews of things but this was worth doing it for.
I will definitely be buying this again no doubt about it and yeah just awesome really, very happy with it :)
It took a long time to arrive ( mainly because i put the wrong address😅) but overall its an amazing track. Thanking Cory from inner Amazing website and will buy more records from here.
The vinyl itself is very beautiful, and the sound is very punchy and clear! Of course all the tracks slap hard. Really great pressing, really great album!
I discovered the Bless Vol. 1 compilation a few years ago. Some of my favorite lo-fi artists were featured on it, and last year I reached out to the label hoping to get some of their releases.
Cory got in touch with me and personally made sure the record arrived safely. It sounds incredible, and the editions are beautifully produced.
Now I'm eagerly waiting for Vol. 1
Greetings from Argentina!
Really big fan. It’s a solidly built player and I think the aux-in recording function and ability to pair Bluetooth headphones/speaker is really unique, especially on the same device. I can’t speak to the Bluetooth pairing as I haven’t tested it out. I specifically was looking for an aux-in recording cassette player and this fit the bill perfectly. I tested this function and it sounds really great without completely losing the charm of a mic recording.
It was packaged perfectly! Everything that it came in was great, too!
HOWEVER, the page for this product does have a preview of all the songs ASSUMED to come with the album. This is not the case. This album comes with everything EXCEPT: September Rain (English Version)
With the previews available, I thought it'd be there. I was apparently missinformed. That is the ONE AND ONLY issue I have with my purchase. I wish they gave you the EXACT track list on the webpage. But like I said, that'd the only issue I had. Everything else was great.
I've been looking for an original copy of this album for a while at a price and quality that I was happy with. I was thrilled to find this on your website and couldn't pass up the opportunity to support you and support my unhealthy collection.
Excellent, can not recommend highly enough. My new go-to for Japanese import vinyl. Reasonable price, fast ship time. Will definitely be telling all 1 ½ of my friends interested in vinyl about Inner Ocean.
This album is truly fantastic. I have the cassette as well, it's so dynamic and interesting to listen to on both the turntable and in my case the player with headphones! blips is also just a very talented artist and incredibly kind person, sent me a short to make up for the shipping delay with the vinyl.
I can't say enough nice things about inner ocean and the artists on here. Interesting work from very talented people, great deals on buying multiple tapes and records, professional and kind customer service, I've honestly never had a bad transaction from inner ocean and I look forward to my next purchase! Thanks all!
Legit and amazing quality!!! These are my very first two vinyl albums and I just love how these two turned out! Would definitely recommend Inner Ocean Records to those who enjoy collecting vintage Japanese albums.
Most beautiful cassettes on earth as always. Every Inner Ocean release is an instant classic and everything I’ve ever ordered (cassettes, vinyl, merch) always comes quick and very well packaged. Best record label out!
Absolutely PHENOMENAL transaction, adding a piece of Casiopea history to my collection. Shipped fast, packed well, and Always a pleasure to do business with. Not my first Inner Ocean order, and FAR from my last! Again, many thanks to the IO crew!
I’m so glad to be able to have my favorite casiopea album on vinyl and it play wonderfully. Would say it got here quickly but alas the Canadian post strike happened not too long after I ordered it. But all in all I will definitely be ordering more from here.
Favorite Miki album. The added posted was wonderful surprise. Inner Ocean Records shipping and customer support is top notch. Can’t wait for my next purchase!
This is my first entry into the Lofi Snacks series after bumbling into the Inner Ocean label on Bandcamp and looking up their website. And my, what can I say other than it has been a delight! Really fresh vibey beats that sound great digitally on on my desk cassette player. The art is also fantastic and I love the print on the cassette itself. I've had this album on repeat since it arrived Monday. Look forward to exploring more of the Inner Ocean catalogue.
One of the greatest records in my collection! There are few legendary records that scratch the sonic itch this one does. Love the addition of the obi strip. Inner Ocean delivers greatness yet again!
