Ian Boddy Elemental Play Sample:   56K Dialup   Broadband   Download Sample:   500K   1.5Mb (Excerpt from track(s) 'Foundry')

'Never Forever' kicks things off with the most wonderful slow melodic tones over soft strings. The word beautiful sounds so inadequate for it. This is a little like early Sigur Ros but even more sublime. 'Stormfront' initially conjures up images of swampland but then a stunning rhythm line and processed piano strike up, gaining energy, power and emotion from each other as they progress. It is all so delicate and masterfully composed. It will caress the soul but get the body moving at the same time. Absolutely exquisite.

All fades to gentle rainfall as we seamlessly drift into 'If all the World was Blue'. It's a very peaceful but abstract track containing sparse metallic percussion as if broken chimes were moving in a faint breeze. We return to the swampland as we move into 'Foundry'. Staccato rhythms weave around each other in a highly infectious but also mesmerizing way. I couldn't help but turn the volume up to unhealthy proportions and let myself go in all the wonderful beats. This isn't all about power however the melodies are also spot on. Another amazing piece of music! I can't wait to hear him play it live. It's back to atmospherics for the beginning of 'Reflex'. A gong can be heard amongst a host of misty effects. It is like being in a Buddhist temple situated in some hot tropical climate. By the second minute a loping rhythm starts up as the backing becomes more ethereal. Another growling beat joins the first as things move forward with real attitude.

'Flux' is a really delicate drifter focused around mellotron type sounds and gentle percussive detail. Initially this feeling follows through to 'All roads lead to Home'. Deep sonic stabs bring up images of some vast being taking its first steps. These gently solidify into a real body-moving groove. A wonderful little melodic motif is brought into play developing into the most beautiful lead line. One more awesome piece of music! The title track rounds things off. Another stunning melody, this time in the form of a delicate sequence gets things underway. Superb rhythmic flourishes give things that added bite. There is a sense of euphoria here but with a melancholy edge.