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 |
|
------Amethystium
- Emblem |
| STYLE |
|
Ethereal daydream electronica
beautifully adorned with female voices, world sounds and distinctive
effects. Amethystium builds tracks around twinkling liquid
arpeggios, misty synthesiser washes and lush programmed beats
- around these basic structures wordless voices weave various
spells - gregorian choirs, breathy female tones, ethnic chants
- then across everything keening, wistful melodies or emotive
piano lines fill the air with memorable themes, audio fantasies
that ignite the imagination. Oystein is as adept at creating
soft magical interludes of gentle quietude as he is at building
swelling climactic passages of grandeur - Emblem delivering
the best of these from across three albums. One thing I always
enjoy about Amethystium's music is the inventiveness evident
in the rhythmic structures - muted hits, pitchshifted loops,
effected crunches, frequent variation and shifts of emphasis
- a lot of attention has been given to making the beats interesting.
Singer Lee Nisbet, Joyelle Brandt and Martha Krabye are credited
- only one track has English lyrics though with words taken
from poems by Steven Hewitt. |
| |
| MOOD |
|
Amethystium
has created a unique fairytale sound that conjures up visions
of twilight woods and lush visionary landscapes. Ideas from
Tolkien are scattered across the album and Oystein has skillfully
captured something of the stuff of legend and the mystique
that such imaginary worlds encapsulate - Most of the tracks
here are gentle arrangments with flushes of nostalgia, moments
of melancholy introspection or solitude - but there is also
an uplifting optimism that brims over, an anthemic grace. |
| |
| ARTWORK |
|
Emblem
comes in a card sleeve with jewel case inside - all elegantly
presented. The outer cover features the familiar dragonfly
here embossed with a subtle shine against a matt background.
The colours are the yellow browns of antique documents giving
the package the timeless appeal of uncovered artifacts. Inside,
the jewelcase front is free of all type - not a word disturbs
the shady monochrome lake image where a silver dragonfly hangs
before silhouetted trees and heavy cloud. Again the imagary
has been treated and textured to give an impression of age.
No words once more inside the case - the booklet and CD support
simply presenting more complementary visuals. The jewelcase
rear has a simple tracklist white like hoarfrost in the gloom
of a winter forest. The inner booklet has twelve pages where
further tasteful scenery and timeworn textures support a wealth
of information - an explanation of the collection overall
and a brief anecdote for each track, credits, thanks and the
first portrait photograph so far of Oystein himself. |
| |
| OVERALL |
|
With
three albums under his belt, this is not so much 'best of'
as a condensation of Amethystium's first phase, summing up
of the 'dragonfly trilogy'. The album is an effective vehicle,
the atmosphere is very strong throughout this collection -
Emblem capturing nicely the central essence of Amethystium.
It is clear from this CD that at his best this is a talented
artist with a vivid vision - his compositions put me in mind
of evening vistas, forest glades, floating lights, purple
nights and storybook memories. How impressed I was to learn
here for the first time that the debut Odonata was completed
in Oystein's teen years, released on a national scale by the
age of twenty! The whole album has been remastered for a fuller
sound and includes pieces not available elsewhere - the brand
new Anthemoessa and a rerecorded version of Meadowland (previously
a part of the five track demo Autumn Interlude released through
mp3.com). |
| |
| WHO
WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM |
|
This
is the perfect introduction to Amethystium - an elegant delivery
of the highlights from the past six years. Fans will want
this album for the extra bits and pieces - it's worth it. |
| |
|
 |
|
------Omnimotion
- Dream Wide Awake |
| STYLE |
|
Dreamy chilled songs and instrumentals
with a variety of female vocals. Omnimotion has developed
a peculiarly intimate sound, his compositions have an up-close
warmth and individuality that frequently pulls the listener
right into the lucid dreams that he seeks to share. The
music is quite varied - electronic pads and sequences, smooth
strings, languid guitar lines, subtle ethnic flutes, struck
strings and samples, various unique effects and peripherals.
Many tracks have female voices either woven into the fabric
of the sound with wordless utterances or else singing, whispering,
breathing across the surface. Percussion tracks are inventive,
pots overlaid with a light creaking, fragmented trip hop,
live drumming, electronic quirks and white noise hits. |
| |
| MOOD |
|
The
mood is one of luminous, hazy light-headedness - often with
a strange sense of detachment as if drifting untethered
through a series of delirious, meandering daydreams. There
is a strongly organic feel even when most of the instrumentation
is electronic - Omnimotion presenting a sound that feels
performed, played rather than programmed. Indeed a number
of guest artists contributed instrumental parts - violin,
accordion, guitar, harp, flute. A European flavour tints
a number of pieces in differing degrees - a French lyric,
a familiar continental sound or perhaps a choice of musical
phrase. |
| |
| ARTWORK |
|
Having
the promotional version of the album, I haven't seen the complete
package - but I can tell you that Dream Wide Awake features
a series of pastoral photo-montages. The front cover presents
(what I assume to be) the artist's face bathed in soft light,
crystal blue eyes holding your gaze, pulling the eye back
centrally from the surrounding foliage. There is a discussion
of the album with a description of how it came about, there
is also a brief Omnimotion biography that explains Stephan's
skill with orchestration and string arrangement having undertaken
a course on classical composition. |
| |
| OVERALL |
|
This
is Stefan Lundaahl's second CD under the name Omnimotion -
the first appearing on Waveform Records back in 2002. This
time Aleph-Zero delivers the goods and reveals an Omnimotion
that has evolved greatly over the intervening years - the
hypnotic individuality, however, is still there, if anything
Stefan is drifting further off onto a course of his own. No-one
sounds quite like this and yet Dream Wide Awake is accessible
and appealing, drawing on familiar elements of downtempo,
glitch, jazz, dub, ambient and lounge. Eight different vocalists
bring their talents to the album as diverse as rapper and
opera singer. |
| |
| WHO
WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM |
|
Dream
Wide Awake will appeal to chillout fans and probably lovers
of enigmatic new age music. The album is strongly melodic
and features some excellent songs. Try this one if you'd like
an unusual take on the world of downtempo electronica. |
| |
|
 |
|
------John
Lyell - Dimensions |
| STYLE |
|
Rhythmic electronic space music with clean
synths and a warm floating ambience. Dimensions presents a
series of tracks with smooth washes and airy swells, unhurried
and uncluttered propelled by gentle pulsing sequences and
sonic breezes. There is no percussion to most tracks, no drum
beats, but lucid melodic rhythms cycle and roll along with
sufficient emphasis to keep the music in constant motion.
There are static effects put to use in places, a measured
crackle bright and crisp, providing a top layer to the delicate
atmospheres and soft transparent hues. When a beat arises
during 'Enter The Light' it is sparse, light and flickering.
The overall effect is very floatational, as the cover imagery
suggests - more a drifting in the upper reaches of the atmosphere
than in the remote emptiness of deep space. |
| |
| MOOD |
|
The
mood of Dimensions is one of gentle celestial radiance, delicate
shafting light free from the restraints of gravity. There
is something of the stillness of dawn, a suggested solitude,
a comfortable freedom from distraction, from care, from the
weights of the world. John Lyell masterfully spins endless
sheets of subtly graduated tone, expanses of sound that meander
effortlessly away into remote distance. In harmony with the
cover imagery there is often a sense of hanging high in the
atmosphere, gliding through empty space, stretched out in
the emptiness of air. |
| |
| ARTWORK |
|
Some lovely
complementary imagery adorns this CD - high, high above the
clouds a weightless pyramid hangs, a trail of spheres trailing
loosely in its wake. Salmon pink mists and orange-pink cloudbanks
sheet through a flawless steely blue-grey sky. This design
appears with variation throughout the package - on the jewelcase
rear, no clouds, rather a dark fractal hole apparently attracting
multiple pyramids, spheres and planets - here is the single
tracklist. Behind the CD and on the reverse of the booklet
similar fractal magnetism distorts pyramids, clouds and sky
into swirling curves. Within there is only the lone pyramid
and accompanying spheres against a graduated sky - delicate
details alongside brief credits, a gear list and website details. |
| |
| OVERALL |
|
Dimensions
is the third CD release from Minneapolis based John Lyell
who has been a musician since 1984. This being his first
solo album, previously working with friend Brent Reiland
to produce "Wormholes" in 1998 and "Synthetic
Universe" in 2002. John's music and graphics here reflect
his keen interest in astronomy, time travel, and related
cosmic subject matter, he writes, records, engineers, and
produces everything with mastering credited to ambient legend
Robert Rich. Promotional material describes Dimensions as
"an Ambient-SpaceMusic Experience that is a mixture
of "Rhythmic Pulses" as well as "Floating"
SpaceMusic pieces". This is a CD for anyone enjoying
tranquil electronic music that defies gravity and stills
the mind. |
| |
| WHO
WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM |
|
This is
an album for lovers of ambient silk, fans of sonic softness
and grace. Not a minimal album, yet one uncluttered with plenty
of space. |
| |
|
 |
|
------Craig
Padilla - The Light In The Shadow |
| STYLE |
|
Long form deep spacey ambience.
Craig Padilla presents here an arrangement of heavenly pads
and celestial synths unfolding and washing in in constant
waves. Beatless and weightless, swell after swell of bright
tone forms an undulating sea of sound. Periodically sonic
turbulence or air shoots through the smoothness - sibilant
streamers clear and sharp against the layered hazes. There
are passages of shorter sequenced notes, pulsing against the
longer pads, introducing rhythm and a sense of tempo. The
synthesiser settings fluctuate often so that the sound is
strongly electronic one moment, akin to angelic voices the
next, then glassy, chiming. In time the whole tonal range
is employed, low urges of bass adding mass at the bottom end. |
| |
| ARTWORK |
|
Abstract
photographic imagery is well employed here - the front cover
grey, blurry and ambiguous - a shot of an empty chair catching
the light in the shadow. The main image is distressed and
textured, three overlaid panels of lighter tone further obscuring
the subject matter. On the reverse, once more scratches and
surface damage seem to hang on a separate plane to the photograph
behind. Within, the chair image is present again with more
blotched overlays having the appearance of sheets of glass.
Here inside we find credits, thanks and website information
laid out in a simple presentation on the lower half of the
rightmost panel. |
| |
| OVERALL |
|
North
California based Craig Padilla has been recording
for around sixteen years and this CD is the latest in a
rather impressive back catalogue. The Light In The Shadow
is released through the well respected Spotted Peccary label
and harks back to the approach employed on the album Vostok.
The single track here is sixty three minutes in length passing
through numerous distinctive phases during that time. Not
a minimalist recording by any means, but as the promotional
material explains "its lack of jarring dynamics makes
it perfect for relaxation and meditation". This is
an appealing piece of electronica that straddles the grey
area between pure ambient and electronic space music - you
can preview a sample on Craig's own website www.craigpadilla.com |
| |
|
 |
|
------DaKsha
- Ascendent |
| STYLE |
|
Romantic electronic instrumentals
with strong melodies and world elements. DaKsha's music
has a synthetic foundation with colourful keyboard work
built into harmonious themes embellished with warm strings,
twinkling peripherals, and the added mystique of various
bright effects. Each track has a clear tune carried by pianos,
programmed voices or wordless female vocalising. The instrumentation
is quite varied - accordion, didgeridoo and flute threaded
through the synthesiser work, world sounds appearing periodically
both as tonal flavours and among the percussion tracks -
castanets, tablas, tribal drumming contributing to what
are for most part vibrant drum arrangements. |
| |
| MOOD |
|
DaKsha
have a vivid , theatrical sound that suggests flamboyant masked
performers, bright lights at night and rich painted colour.
There is a European flavour to a number of pieces, but that
said we also have touches of Asia, South America and various
other geographical references from track to track. The sound
is quite heady and emotive, drawing the various stylistic
references together into one clear vision of dramatic artifice. |
| |
| ARTWORK |
|
Spot
lit golden masks - wide mouthed and wide eyed lie bejewelled
with multiple graphic layers in kaleidoscopic business. Everything
has the feel of the circus or the stage, swirling artificial
faces and curling scrollwork creeping up one side and trailing
from above. On the jewel case rear is a description of the
project laid out alongside the tracklist. Inside, the cover
image is repeated behind the CD - this time with no text.
On the inner booklet the colour shifts to red - lurid, saturated,
similar subject material now brought into monochrome, within
another horned mask large and sharp among many others looks
across at another red panel of credits and website details. |
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| OVERALL |
|
DaKsha
(meaning God's Country or Land of the Gods) take their name
from Nicolae Miulescu's 1978 book about life in the rural
villages of Romania. The band was formed by guitarist/engineer
Alexandru Nuca and pianist George Constantinescu with composer/musician
Catalin Truta soon joining in 2000. They are joined on this
album by Hans Hvass on soprano sax, Angelus on didgeridoo
and Mihaela Cretu with vocals on Nights In Serampur. Ascendent
is the result of three years in the studio and shows the
artists' interest in folk sounds and international music
set into a contemporary presentation. |
| |
| WHO
WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM |
|
This
is an album that will likely appeal to lovers of label mates
Amethystium and Blue Stone. The sound is gentle and tranquil
for the most part with bright beats and melodies that hang
in the air. |
| |
|
 |
|
------Mystical
Sun - Deeperworlds |
| STYLE |
|
Chilled instrumental electronica
with rich layering and serene atmospheres. The label describes
Mystical Sun's sound as 'atmostronica' highlighting the lush,
ambient quality of the music. Beats range from downtempo restfulness
through minimal interludes to pacey dance beats - yet the
overall impression is one of tranquillity and unhurried easiness.
A female voice echoes in some tracks - spoken words bringing
a human touch to a generally synthetic canvas - that said,
Mystical Sun's sound is by no means sterile or overly sanitised,
the melodic structures have a lot of feeling and emotional
impact. |
| |
| MOOD |
|
There
is a slightly psychedelic tone to Deeperworlds, however, the
sound is perhaps somewhat deeper, the pace more chilled and
the colours more saturated than most psychedelic downtempo
trance. Mystical Sun leans in the direction of cinematic soundscaping,
world influences tinting the sound with a colourful exotica
at times - yet always with tasteful subtlety, there aren't
frequent global samples or chants as are often used, rather
the flavours are invoked by musical structures or by choice
of synthetic voices along with some world beats threaded into
the programming.. |
| |
| ARTWORK |
|
I
have only a promotional package with no artwork and so can
only draw attention to the front cover image shown above.
The dense hues, translucent above a black infinity match the
musical content well. |
| |
| OVERALL |
|
This
is the second full length release from Mystical Sun, coming
in the wake of a huge number of compilation appearances.
The music arises from the capable hands of California based
musician Richard supported by the voice of Dawn, and is
released in this instance via Cyberset Records. Promotional
material explains that "Mystical Sun is an artist who
creates cinematic sound worlds. He uses a wide array of
audio sources in his productions and builds his own custom
software instruments to explore the frontiers of sound design.
The sound of Mystical Sun could be described as a deep and
mystic tone emanating from a radio transmitter in a parallel
dimension. Minimally expressed with a potent essence, Dawn
is the vocals of Mystical Sun; leading one to their spirit's
calling." |
| |
| WHO
WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM |
|
Mystical
Sun will appeal to the downtempo fans that have taken the
term 'ambient' and adapted it to their own purposes - lovers
of deep electronic sequencing and texturing with plenty of
rhythm. |
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|
