New release by Raffaele Serra on AFE Records (see archive for previous reviews), packaged in a gorgeous carboard cover. Partly inspired by Fleur Jaeggy's "Sweet days of discipline", "La spectre de la rose" is a quite sombre work, and a kind of lengthy summa of Serra's different souls, mixing ambient, electronica, and soundtrack-like compositions. The cd opens with the unquiet ambient drone of "Siege of the Unseen", then features rhythmic tracks like "Iron Dream" and "Love Vs. Gravity" (similar to the previous work, "Europe Endless"), and even some ("Stars like dust", "Ticket to anywhere") that could be a colder electronic version of sixties lounge. It's a lengthy release (70'), and at times I wished the ideas were more concentrated, or that some patterns were more varied - but anyway, an engaging listen nonetheless.