Various Artists Soundscapes

Klik hier voor de Nederlandstalige versie

This must be the most chilled and relaxing melodic CD I have ever reviewed for SMD. Just put it on, even in the background and unwind. The main reason it came to my attention was because of the inclusion of three unique Ian Boddy tracks. It is a library disc which means that it is designed to be used by TV producers and the like as 'off the shelf' music to go with their visuals. As a result the tracks tend to be short. Here they vary between two and a half and three and a half minutes each.

There are four artists in total featured on the CD. As I listened to it carefully I could identify their individual styles but quite frankly if you are just giving it a casual listen you wouldn't really notice a difference. As a result it works very well as an album in its own right. My favourite tracks here actually are by David Kelly simply because melodically they are so strong. Especially the beautiful acoustic guitar based 'Panoramic' and 'Earthly'. Howie, someone who also popped up on the Sci-Tech album, is also featured here. He displays some lovely piano work as well as occasionally some nice subtle rhythms. The most atmospheric and subliminal numbers are provided by Colin Kiddy but that's very relative as all of this is laid back mood music. Most impressive would be his haunting 'Drifting Away'. Ian provides the title track. Shimmering tones hang in the air whilst soft melodic pads caress the soul.

'Vista' has an optimistic uplifting feel to it with a nice piano melody. Even better on the piano front however is 'Halcyon'; the melody is simple but very beautiful. There are very few Electronic Music CDs I put on when relaxing in the evening with my better half but this one I did, just in the background and it went down very well. That is the sort of mood I would recommend people buying it for. There will be some Boddy completists who will want this in their collection but the tracks certainly aren't typical of his style so it wouldn't be the album to buy if you were using it as some sort of sampler containing his music. (DL)

Nederlandstalige versie

Dit moet de meest ontspannende melodieuze cd zijn die ik ooit voor SMD besprak. Zet je speler aan en beluister dit op de achtergrond. De reden waarom mijn aandacht hierop viel is omdat er drie unieke tracks van Ian Boddy op staan. Het is een library disc en dus eigenlijk geproduceerd voor TV producers en anderen die muziek nodig hebben voor bij hun beelden. Het resultaat is dus wel dat de tracks kort zijn, variërend tussen de tweeënhalf en drieënhalf minuten. In totaal staan er vier artiesten op de cd. Als ik goed luisterde kon ik hun individuele stijlen herkennen maar in het algemeen vullen ze elkaar zo goed aan dat je nauwelijks verschil hoort.

Zelfs als een album op zichzelf werkt dit wel. Mijn favoriete tracks hier komen van David Kelly omdat ze melodisch zo sterk zijn. Zeker het op akoestische gitaar gebaseerde "Panoramic" en "Earthly". Howie, die ook al verscheen op het 'Sci-Tech' album doet hier ook mee. Hij brengt erg mooi pianowerk en af en toe ook wat subtiele ritmes. De meest atmosferische en geestverruimende nummers komen van Collin Kiddy, maar dat is relatief daar het allemaal over relaxerende muziek gaat. Het allermooiste vond ik zijn "Drifting Away".