My electronica roots
Going on itunes can be a bit overwhelming for me these days. I know I have taken a break from always listening to music in recent times, like when I am at home or even on transit. I find quiet and silence sometimes more refreshing! However, in the last week I felt it was important to give myself a little treat and I started combing through some of the music categories in the itunes music store to fulfill my need for auditory stimulation.
It was pretty tough I must admit. Being a fan of music that is more off-stream than main-stream for most of my life, the limitations of itunes makes it sometimes more difficult to find something that would speak or move me. However, since the Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode and David Bowie have been some of my faves in the past (and all main-stream chart toppers) I am not going to sit here and slag popular music for the masses, nor will I try to make myself out to be an underground music guru by any stretch. All I'm saying is that with all the computer media websites and mp3/non tangible music recordings out there, it can sometimes be difficult to find music that one really likes to hear or has grown to like.
Now I have to say that I'm not opposed by any means to good ol' Rock and Roll, but for some reason I've always connected to electronic music. The multi-layer aspect is perhaps my favorite thing. Like an orchestra, with fifty to a hundred instruments, each spelling out all the intricacies of fine and subtle sounds that make up a beautiful song makes my imagination dance around (and my body also). So I was happy to come across Chicane's new album "Thousand Mile Stare" http://chicanemusic.co.uk/ .
The first track brought me back to the sound of Sigur Ros's first album "Agaetis Byrjun" http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/ with the slow climb and build up of lulling ambiance and of lyrics I couldn't understand. The second track "The nothing song" started off with a sequence similar to one from 80's pop idol Tiffany's many songs and falls into a non-trashy Euro-trash beat and again, smooth but abstract to me, lyrics. There is a small quality of the first few songs that also reminds me of one of my all time favorites Ulrich Shnauss http://www.myspace.com/ulrichschnauss since the type of sounds used are soft and contrasting, and as previously mentioned, have this build up that one often hears in orchestral conducted compositions. Of course I love to dance (LOVE) so the dance club rave type (wow I can't believe I used the word rave, yes) beats and arrangements do bring me back to days of going out dancing five nights a week. "Going Deep" is probably the album's most dance club friendly song and has all the typical dance club riffs/hooks/and breaks.
Though 'Thousand Mile Stare' is also a great walking album if you like to do lots of walking. It keeps you movin'. There's even the track "Playing Fields" that has this Sinead O'Connor/Sneaker Pimps/Enya feel to it for those melancholic moments.
Overall, I think this album has just the right balance for a safe roller coaster ride that I truly enjoy when listening to an album from start to finish. Chicane's idea of storytelling is very well transmitted in this wonderful recording, and since music, for me, has always had such impact, it is near perfection!
It was pretty tough I must admit. Being a fan of music that is more off-stream than main-stream for most of my life, the limitations of itunes makes it sometimes more difficult to find something that would speak or move me. However, since the Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode and David Bowie have been some of my faves in the past (and all main-stream chart toppers) I am not going to sit here and slag popular music for the masses, nor will I try to make myself out to be an underground music guru by any stretch. All I'm saying is that with all the computer media websites and mp3/non tangible music recordings out there, it can sometimes be difficult to find music that one really likes to hear or has grown to like.
Now I have to say that I'm not opposed by any means to good ol' Rock and Roll, but for some reason I've always connected to electronic music. The multi-layer aspect is perhaps my favorite thing. Like an orchestra, with fifty to a hundred instruments, each spelling out all the intricacies of fine and subtle sounds that make up a beautiful song makes my imagination dance around (and my body also). So I was happy to come across Chicane's new album "Thousand Mile Stare" http://chicanemusic.co.uk/ .
The first track brought me back to the sound of Sigur Ros's first album "Agaetis Byrjun" http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/ with the slow climb and build up of lulling ambiance and of lyrics I couldn't understand. The second track "The nothing song" started off with a sequence similar to one from 80's pop idol Tiffany's many songs and falls into a non-trashy Euro-trash beat and again, smooth but abstract to me, lyrics. There is a small quality of the first few songs that also reminds me of one of my all time favorites Ulrich Shnauss http://www.myspace.com/ulrichschnauss since the type of sounds used are soft and contrasting, and as previously mentioned, have this build up that one often hears in orchestral conducted compositions. Of course I love to dance (LOVE) so the dance club rave type (wow I can't believe I used the word rave, yes) beats and arrangements do bring me back to days of going out dancing five nights a week. "Going Deep" is probably the album's most dance club friendly song and has all the typical dance club riffs/hooks/and breaks.
Though 'Thousand Mile Stare' is also a great walking album if you like to do lots of walking. It keeps you movin'. There's even the track "Playing Fields" that has this Sinead O'Connor/Sneaker Pimps/Enya feel to it for those melancholic moments.
Overall, I think this album has just the right balance for a safe roller coaster ride that I truly enjoy when listening to an album from start to finish. Chicane's idea of storytelling is very well transmitted in this wonderful recording, and since music, for me, has always had such impact, it is near perfection!
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