The Glimmer Room Grey Mirrors Play: Lo-Fi   Mid-Fi   Hi-Fi   Download: Lo-Fi   Mid-Fi   Hi-Fi (Excerpt from track 'Grey Mirrors') Please go to the Store to buy this item.

To say this album came as something of a surprise is a vast understatement, as certainly for the first twenty minutes it sounds absolutely nothing like his only other album 'Tomorrows Tuesday'. That album was rather commercial (in the best sense of the word) but with the occasional reflective moment. It contained a number of short tracks with no apparent connection. This album however has just one track, forty-two minutes long which constantly changes from one 'mood' to the next. It is a highly emotional and sensitive work that seems to delve into every corner of the mind.

We begin with a beautiful dawn chorus. The sound of birds then mixes with church bells and some deep drones which could even be vast gong sounds. It's all rather peaceful and even spiritual. Little melodic motifs shine through then echo away mutating interestingly as they go. A bright sequence starts up mixing with the motifs perfectly, in no way detracting from the exquisite peaceful atmosphere already created. In the sixth minute this all fades away and we get massed wordless and very ethereal vocal colouring, again with a rather spiritual feel. There are then some faint effects as if someone is working in a garden, the image that came to my mind was of a monk planting tress but I am sure it will vary from listener to listener. A slow rhythm starts up in the ninth minute over deep metallic pads and suddenly things have taken a rather dark turn as if from an optimistic frame of mind we are now delving into those darker areas of the brain where it would be probably best to keep away.

The sound of a plane flies above and then we get heavy breathing over more wordless ethereal vocals but this time they have a rather melancholy edge. This is simply stunning, stunning stuff. In the thirteenth minute another exquisitely beautiful looped melody appears then the sounds of the birds return as if we are shaking off the demons and are again at one with the world and in an optimistic though rather reflective frame of mind. From here we journey into the next section on the back of the most forceful rhythm on the album so far, and all rather awesome it is too. This is then accompanied by yet another beautiful lead line. Gradually though we start to slip again into the darker side. The drones become deeper and all rhythm and melody departs. This moment soon passes however as another combination of melodies and rhythms come forward that will get your head gently nodding and soul soaring. It is the first time that hints of his previous album come to the fore but used with incredible care and sensitivity. From this section of the work we get a return of the looped melody from earlier, gradually building, more rhythm being added until we are chugging along in a carefree, optimistic mood. Slow melodies float over the top caressing the mind until at the half our mark things become rather reflective again and gentle pads carefully carry us forward. We are gradually awoken from our reverie by another bright melodic sequence which fades away as we finish the album back with birdsong, buzzing bees and church bells.

I know this sounds somewhat pompous but it is one of the most mature albums I have ever heard composed by an Electronic Musician, coming straight from the heart, covering both the optimistic as well as tragic side of life in a way that never becomes remotely twee and yet seems to connect directly with the listener- it certainly did with me. It is an amazing work and could very well go down as something of a classic (especially the first twenty minutes). And no it isn't on my label so I'm not just plugging my own product! It reveals Andy C, the man behind The Glimmer Room, to be a true musician of rare talent and I really hope that this album will give him the credit he amply deserves.