When it comes to band names, Ataraxia doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. It's a Greek word, apparently, that stands for a lucid state in which anxiety is utterly non-existent. Ataraxia, most literally interpreted, is a kind of tranquillity.
You can see what the band that bears this name is getting at. The group use a blend of instruments and operatic vocals to bring epic-sounding melodies to haunting life. The songs sound like that dream-like state - although 'tranquillity' isn't quite the mood the band strikes. What you get instead is a jarring juxtaposition of classical guitars with doom-heavy (electronic) bass drums, flashes of keyboards, wispy flute and booming male vocal incantations mixed with soaring female operatic singing. Easy pop songs these are not.
When Ataraxia bring these challenging soundscapes to Hidden Agenda next Tuesday, they'll be channelling a 'dark wave' inclination for creating moods and tapping into emotions rather than exciting the limbs. In their press materials, they say of their live performances: 'We explore and travel with our listeners in primeval kingdoms, we paint with notes whimsical landscapes.' Something must be working for them. They have a cult following in neoclassical circles and, in their more than 17 years, they've put out 26 albums.
Ataraxia, Hidden Agenda, 6/F Ko Leung Building, 25 Dai Yip Street, Kwun Tong, April 26, 8.30pm. HK$300 (door), HK$220 (advance). Tickets from White Noise Records (2591 0499) or Hidden Shop (9651 8567). Inquiries: 9170 6073