Music Matters
Music reviews by Bill Binkelman
Odyssey of Rapture, Vol. 1
Various Artists
Mythical Records, www.mythicalrecords.com
Spread across its 17 tracks, Odyssey of Rapture reveals the diverse approach taken by assorted artists in crafting contemporary instrumental music drawn from a mostly orchestral and classical influence. It’s rare to hear music this non-mainstream yet still accessible, provided listeners are at least slightly adventurous in nature. The overall mood here is somber, even funereal at times, yet many tracks are equally alluring and even beautiful. Intellectual without being alienating or cold, the album represents a thinking person’s ambient music.
In the Clouds
Michele Ippolito
Penrose Records, www.vippolito.com
Following up on her critically acclaimed debut EP, Mystic Moods, electronic keyboard artist Michele Ippolito has released In the Clouds, a full-length CD filled with 11 tracks of gorgeous flowing synthesizer soundscapes that caress the air with a sensation of gentle ethereal comfort. As was the case with Mystic Moods, comparisons to Liquid Mind are inevitable, but under attentive listening, Ippolito’s music is neither derivative nor imitative, standing on its own as a unique artistic statement. Chorals, lush synth pads, twinkling tones, orchestra strings, a smattering of sampled classical instruments and a myriad of electronic textures all coalesce to form a curative sonic treatment which will wash away everyday stress and worry.
Piano Opus
Brian Crain
Crain Records, www.briancrain.com
Pianist Brian Crain leaves behind his keyboard orchestrations, opting to go solo on Piano Opus. The results are fantastic, to say the least. Crain composed some of this music using non-traditional time signatures, such as 5/4, 7/8, and even 11/8. Despite this shift, the pieces on Piano Opus are still accessible and inviting. The intimacy of the compositions is refreshingly uncluttered by overdone melodrama or a commercialized approach to structure. It’s as if Crain distilled the essence of his instrument to the components needed to transmit sincere emotion. The terse one-word titles (“Wind,” “Rain,” “Autumn,” “Snow”) offer further evidence of a stripped-down motif, one which Crain wears particularly well.
Harp Therapy
Lizary Rodriguez Rios
Libre Productions, www.lizary.net
On this exquisite and restful album of classical and traditional music, harpist Lizary Rodríguez Ríos is joined by Karla Donehew Pérez on violin, Harry Almodóvar on cello, and Harry Aponte on guitar. Besides the soothing melodies from the instruments, superb nature sounds including waves, rain, birdsong, and flowing water are expertly blended in “Scarborough Fair,” Grieg’s “Morning Song,” Satie’s “Gymnopedie No. 1,” and a host of other recognizable compositions. Rodríguez Ríos goes solo on some tracks and is joined by ensemble members on others. Harp Therapy is an extraordinarily well-conceived and executed CD and is not just for your classical music lovers—it offers the listener an island of calm amidst the chaos of the modern world.
Phantoms
Forrest Fang
Projekt, www.projekt.com
Chinese-American multi-instrumentalist Forrest Fang may not be particularly prolific, but he certainly proves the truth behind the axiom “quality over quantity.” Playing a combination of electronic synthesizers, acoustic and electric violin, and a large assortment of non-Western strings and percussion, Fang serves up a heady, intoxicating, and sometimes eerie musical brew, drawing on influences from his fellow ambient artists, as well as his Asian musical heritage. Phantoms is “thinking person’s ambient”—it’s more than just pleasing sonic wallpaper. The album encourages attentive listening, but can also be played in the background for an almost equally rewarding experience. When tracks blend violin, ethnic percussion, and multiple layers of electronic textures, the result is exotic, while more straightforward ambient pieces envelop the listener in a sonic blanket. The CD’s centerpoint, the 23-minute long track “The Hallucinations of Hung Tung” is a trip into a landscape of both beauty and shadows, where the ancient meets the future.
Bill Binkelman has been reviewing acoustic, ambient, and world music since 1997.