Jonn Serrie
The Stargazer's Journey
CD / 6 tracks / 59.58 mins

What a wonderful CD this is. Throughout it is the closest so far to 'Planetary Chronicles'. Indeed it might as well be volume three in the series. Starting with the title track we get straight into soft cosmic winds and little shimmering pads. Just close your eyes and imagine you are in the garden of a remote house on a warm but clear summer night just looking upwards towards the immensity of space.

In the third minute a nice steady sequence starts up. It remains in the middle of the mix whilst little rhythmic touches drift through and round it. Simply beautiful. 'Eye of the Beholder' has a similar beginning to the previous track with the addition of little tinkling note runs like the light of the moon rippling off a gently blown lake. Some very delicate percussion and rhythm are added but it is so tranquil and low in the mix that you hardly notice it.

As with the entire album subtlety in the key. 'Goldstone' takes us deeper into space. The pads become darker and little cosmic twitters float across the ether. Softer drones fly over the top like angelic beings drifting on a solar wind. Another gentle, faintly melodic, sequence starts up giving the whole piece a rather warm comforting feel. 'Pan Galactic' retains this warmth but is even more serene. There is no obvious structure to proceedings. Faint sampled but unintelligible speech can be heard which gives things a rather dreamy quality, eventually departing amongst windy effects. It's as if we are listening to a tube train passing by a deserted station. The most atmospheric track on the CD so far.

'The Stars, Like Dust' starts with cosmic twitters and more angelic drones taking us on yet another journey to realms far from this world. Bell type tones ring out in the seventh minute like the rays from a star shinning above the horizon of one of its planets at the start of a new day. Gorgeous stuff. 'Radiant Dawn's Whisper' initially sounds like the soundtrack to a 50'sci fi movie. Ghostly electronic sounds take their time to echo into the distance like spectres rising from the ground and disappearing into the sky. Very quickly though we get massed pads giving a more euphoric feel. Things then become rather breezy as if we are blown through the cosmos on some strange craft until we finally finish the CD returning to home. (DL)

This page is part of a frame set. If you can't see the information strip to the left of the screen then click on the smd logo above.