Heavenly bodies of musical perfection
589535
This is the Cocteau Twins album that it seems most people claim as their favorite (although my personal fave is the rapturous Blue Bell Knoll). Maybe I'm just thinking of the album cover when I think of this, but the songs really sound like light shows; flowing with burgeoning colored radiance and motion, a dance of light and shadows. Maybe the best example is the title song, which is also my favorite Cocteau Twins song (that's saying a lot!), sublimely pirouetting, piercing upwards and across the heavens like spotlights in the sky.
 Liz's vocals on this album are really intriguing; you can once again recognize the occasional word, enough to know that the whole thing is really words and not just vocalizations. But her diction and pronounciation are done so that most of the words remain *just* out of reach, like a dream you just had but can't *quite* remember. It's kind of frustrating, actually! For instance, on the title song, she pronounces "sun" as "soon"--you can tell by the context: "...more brighter than the sun is to me".
 The sound has a pretty rich low end, with pulsing electronics holding down the bottom, and Simon Raymonde's mellow harmonizations on the 6-string bass sliding along like water across rocks. Robin Guthrie's luscious 'harp-guitar' is used in kind of spare, subdued ways, weaving a web very simply and elegantly. The only drawback on this album is where it hits what seems to me kind of a dullish spot in the back-to-back "Fotzepolitic" and "Wolf In The Breast," which just don't seem quite as interesting as the rest. Plenty of other people love those songs, though, so maybe I just need to get with the program. The whole album is really subtle in a sweetly engaging way, and I should listen to it more often than I do; maybe then it'd be my favorite too!
1849957
This CD is stupendous, amazing, incredible, and a feast for the ears, mind, heart, and soul. Each track is substantially different from the others, yet the CD is a harmonious whole. It has sweetness, gravity, awe, and mystery. The lyrics are all ancient Sanskrit chants and the music spans a great range of time and styles of European (and African?) origin. For meditation, relaxation, energy, background music for a presentation or film--there is something on this CD for nearly anything. It's a stunning achievement from a consummate artist. I'm so glad that a friend of mine on Facebook posted a link to this. wow.
724013
I saw the video for "Unreal is Here" and I had to buy Ride The Fader.  What makes it so unique is their marriage of dissonance and melody.  "Unreal is Here", along with "Top Pocket Man" and  "Lions" are some of the most beautiful songs  I have ever heard.  Their mixture of loud, grating guitars and eerily dismembered voices and  melodys make them very unique.  If there was any justice in the world, this  CD would go platinum.  Another album I believe matches up to this is Built  To Spill's Perfect From Now On.  Both of them show a great knack for melody  and musical knowledge.  Hands down, they are the best albums I have heard  in a long time.
439302
Well, what can I say?  `I've just been Shpongled' I suppose.  The perfect musical experience.  From a lover of the likes of `The Boards of Canada', `Sun Electric', Casino vs. Japan' and in general most ambient/electronic music I have to say this album has stretched to a sphere not even the aforementioned has achieved.  From the word go this album just climbs and climbs.  My favourite track is `Behind closed eyelids' but it's only just about my favourite, I'm sure that will change next week as I've only listened to this album 6 times since obtaining it last week.  If you drive a lot this is just the ticket for chilling you out.  That reminds me I must listen to it again.  It has that affect on you.  You just want to keep listening to it.  It's addictive and seductive, it's intelligent tranquillity, it's hypnotising and mesmerising.  I had never been Shpongled before and I must say I like it very much.  I've been injected with a new kind of love, something has penetrated my being, so much so that I see things in a new light.  A new door to  a new room of musical enjoyment has been opened to me and I've just floated in to it.  Magical, majestic, amazing.  I cannot recommend this enough.  Simon Posford and Raja Ram you are geniuses.  I congratulate you for this astonishing, mind blowing album.  A landmark, milestone, masterpiece in electronic music and a must have for all lovers of not just electronic music but lovers of music in general.  This will elevate the average listener to a higher level of appreciation for this genre.

Astounding!!!
4540093
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has no equal. Its gift of sacred music is gloriously revealed in the recording "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing." The hymns all attain greater heights of inspiration through this choir's talent. There are no weak links in the production but the title hymn hits just the right praise notes. Skeptics and agnostics seek to avoid being swept away by sound of these hymns. Listen and rejoice!
92962
Truly a stunning masterpiece of progressive instrumental music. This is a MUST HAVE. Each song is perfect on it's own and yet meld together to make a whole that is simply breathtaking. Wow.
4530324
This brilliant musical concept blends the extraordinary talents of three musicians whose concentric circles of musical proclivity barely even touch, into a seemless and cohesive project which seems to me to be boisterously mellow and angrily tender. Lyrically it is demanding, challenging and thought provoking. Though the guitar style of John Meyer could be described as larger than life he nevertheless has the sensitivity and empathy to capture the emotions and sentiments expressed by the prolific lyricist, Matthew B Mayes. Interestingly, these two artists have also discovered a musical congruence between their instruments, each in a different alternate tuning.

On paper, this music should not succeed but it DOES!  It's one of the finest and most original recordings of this century. I don't want to betray the artists by attempting to codify this music but try it. You'll be very impressed.
281781
Well, here it is, a Mass that makes you FEEL GOOD!  Small, too, this is after all you and GOD, so you are small and GOD is huge, as it is and should be.  Just beautiful, soul-piercing music, expressing the grandeur and love and beauty and romance of God in fabulously beautiful, completely French music.  Never performed, unfortunately, and why not I do not know, this recording has been around forever, I give copies away I love this music so much.  You probably will too!
592196
Since I heard this c.d. for the first time, my ears are constantly hungry for it. There are so many new sounds, instruments, melodies, and harmonies here that at first hearing my head was spinning and my body--dancing. I didn't think I'd like this amalgam of east and west, but I do, I do. Particularly magnificent is "The Silent City" for cello and strings. It starts so quietly that you can barely hear it, but it builds up to a rich melody that wrings your heart and takes you to the deep places of wonder and longing that you recognize as your soul. This lyrical masterpiece is followed by the energetic and vibrant Indian Tabla which I love. How can you not leap out of your skin to the sounds of these drums which cascade to our ears like a waterfall of fast and varying beats?
What Yo-Yo Ma has given us here is a gift like no other. Beethoven reportedly said that music is the voice of God. This is it. Right here.
2814434
literally just amazing. high quality, great sound, amazingly comfortable... i want to listen to every song in the world on these babies just because almost everything coming out of them sounds so good.

Bass is crisp, mids are even and tangible, and vocals sound like they're all around you. I cant say enough good and would reccomend them to anyone.
526776
This recording of Reich's most canonical piece is perfect.  & the music is absolutely brilliant.  It has everything Reich did with compositional structure to that point; rests are gradually replaced with notes over a thick, juicy fabric of repetition.  The musicians phase.  There's also a new idea for him in this piece: music determined by the length of human breath, as the woodwinds periodically pulse a note, & each player pulses it just until s/he runs out of breathn.  The music also is incredibly beautiful, in a way exceptionally modern & also eternally emotional.  Get this cd.  It's an absolute must for any Reich or minimalist collection.
1212495
They hit almost every note perfectly... this is a tribute and a half!!!
2008503
It's a perfect idea to collect all of William Byrd's surviving consort pieces onto one CD. The  consort group Fretwork recorded something along those lines at the end of the 1990s, and it was well received at the time but is no longer available. The concentrated beauty, craftsmanship and profundity of  Byrd's consort music are extraordinary, and the nicely varied arrangement of the programme on the present disc works beautifully. What is more, the 6-piece viol consort Phantasm, directed by Laurence Dreyfus, perform with delicacy, insight, commitment and an absolute unity of spirit and purpose - in short, they play as one.

Listening to the disc a few times over, I tried to note down my favourite pieces but, such is the quality of every one of these works, I was coming up with a different list each time. Still, for me it is perhaps the more extended works such as the free-style Fantasias, where the composer gives free rein to his imagination, that make the deepest impression - for example, the sequence of Fantasia a 5 and Fantasia a 6 "A song for two basses" (tracks 9 and 10), both extraordinarily rich in texture and melody. Then there are the two versions of "Sermone Blando" (8 and 25); the lovely dance movements such as Pavan and Galliard a 6 (track 22), played here with relish and joyful delicacy; and the extended variation pieces, Browning (track 2) and Prelude and Goodnight Ground (25, final track), both works of supreme melodic grace and intensity and of a rich, faultlessly woven texture.

This is music that appeals in equal measure on the sensual, emotional and intellectual levels. I already used the word "perfect" at the start, but it is hard to avoid here; for if there is a note of Byrd's music that is dull, routine or uninspired, or a note of Phantasm's playing that is less than perfect, I have yet to hear it. The booklet is excellent, enhanced by Laurence Dreyfus' own detailed and helpful notes; and Linn's recorded sound, too, is wonderful. But never mind the quality - it's the quantity that counts here, stretching the compact disc format to about one second short of its maximum to give us 79' 59" of music. Sheer bliss, then, and plenty of it!
2508582
Honestly, the music on this album is so moving, so inventive, so unique, that trying to explain it to someone is almost futile. You would benefit yourself immensely if you just stopped reading my review right now and immediately bought this album.

This music does not easily fall into any category, but if you are a fan of progressive rock/metal, alternative, classical, or just a music fan in general, then you NEED this album. If I had to choose one word to describe the sound it would be EPIC.

The first track 'Of Two Beginnings' gives you an idea of the diversity, emotion, and complexity that will captivate your ears when listening through the entire album. Starting with a mellow, eery mood and Daniel's soft melodic vocals beginning the story of this concept album, not even a minute into the song the atmosphere changes dramatically with the vocals becoming a deeper emotional yell backed by pounding riffs, various background vocals, and wailing guitars - within 2 minutes the song is back to a mellow mood again before immediately taking you into the next song with a loud melodic guitar piece that almost makes you cry.

The entire album is full of climactic mood changes, intelligent lyrics, and unpredictable complex song arrangments that defy normality. The drumming, keyboards, strings, vocals, and other sounds are arranged in such perfect beauty that the listener can only sit in wonder and amazement at the quality of sound coming forth from their speakers.

My personal favorite track is 'Trace of Blood', an epic 8 minute tale of a couple's emotions over having a miscarriage, full of great guitar work and hauntingly moving vocals. 'Dryad of the Woods' is a beautiful 5 minute instrumental piece that has just as much emotion as any of the songs accompanied by Daniel's broad vocal range. There is no bad song on this album, and one song runs into the other making a complete musical masterpiece.

RECOMMENDATION: Do yourself a favor and buy not only this album, but every POS release. If you have to choose one more to buy after 'Remedy Lane' then purchase 'The Perfect Element 1' - another masterpiece, but you cannot go wrong with any music by this band. The new album 'Scarsick' is coming out this month!
2853940
"... Nothing Like the Sun" showcases how an album can be a perfection- musically, lyrically, and vocally.

My whole heart is drowned in Sting's sea of emotion every time I listen to the CD. This excellent album starts with "The Lazarus Heart," a melancholy song disguised in the frame of its uplifting tempo. Then cold blood rushes to my spine as soon as I hear the prelude to "Be Still My Beating Heart," a song too beautiful to describe in words. Musicians, including the guest guitarist, Andy Summers, painted the song with dreamy and lost feelings; adorned with Sting's resonant voice, it is simply gorgeous. "Englishman in New York" and "History Will Teach Us Nothing" manage to lighten the serious atmosphere created in the beginning and will return later on, and I involuntarily feel like smiling during the two songs.

Afterwards, the advent of two classic humanitarian songs, "They Dance Alone" and "Fragile," drive me to tears. In addition to being exceptionally moving, the melody seems to recur over and over, lamenting human beings' brutal yet fragile nature. "We'll Be Together" does not fit in for it was written for promotion of a beer commercial, and even Sting originally objected the idea of putting it on the CD. However, it is truly fun to listen to. My only complaint is that the background voices are too loud, but Sting never sounds as sexy and provocative.

"Straight to My Heart" and "Rock Steady" are easygoing and light-hearted, with catchy tunes and brilliant lyrics. The cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" is nimble; backed up with beautiful musicianship, it is undoubtedly another wonderful piece of art. Eventually the record must end, yet the epilogue closes with surpassing grace. "The Secret Marriage" consists simply of the piano, the guitar, and vocals. Sting's sweet voice halted rather surprisingly, stimulating an overwhelming longing to hear more.

Moreover, Sting is a widely acknowledged lyricist as seen obviously on this album. I doubt that he had ever read Taiwanese literature, yet "The Lazarus Heart" magically coincides with a famous poem here, leaving me awestruck. Besides, no one can do a better job portraying the feelings of lost, playing word games, subverting Biblical stories ("Rock Steady"), expressing his magnanimous compassion ("They Dance Alone" and "Fragile"), and making unspoken vows ("The Secret Marriage"). The album covers every aspect of human life in Sting's elegant and sophisticated fashion.

Remarkably, Sting's mellow voice matched with the songs' overall moody tone. In my opinion, Sting sounds best in the late 80s and early 90s, when his croons slide smoothly over the high and low notes. His unique "Stingy" sound is flawless, sometimes lovingly, at times bitter and poignant, and occasionally entertaining and playful. Above all, his soaring tone is second to none.

In sum, "... Nothing Like the Sun" is truly a masterpiece, a must-have for all music lovers, admiring Sting or not.
4135965
Right smack dab in the middle of the elaborate magnificent embroidery of the ornate elegance of Sarah Vaughan, and the spellbinding magical salubriousness of the minimalism of Lorez Alexandria, lays the exquisite splashes of incadescent  brilliance of the marvelous latticework of Miss Carmen MacRae.

Of the numerous entries in her massive catalogue stands this crown jewel called "Songtime". It is in reality two equally balanced sets recorded six years apart in 1963 and 1969.

In this release, the incredible pristine clarity of her sharp as a diamond phrasing has a remarkable ability to create visual and sonic gems that most singers could only dream of producing. She actually enuciates a series of visual and audio paintings, that are tiny masterpieces of the most brilliant colorful works of art. This is an incredible feat people. This woman actually possesses the gift of changing and transforming the capabilities of our natural senses! We suddenly begin to hear with our eyes and see with our ears. Her phrasing is so unique it actually transports you in time to a magical place where you encounter the wondrous stories being told to you from one of the greatest storytellers who ever lived.

Carmen like Sarah and Lorez unleashes the highly elevated musical oratorical skills of the African Griot that is deep inside of her genetic memory. As a result we are privy to her matchless skills of lyrical prose that enables her to not merely sing her lyrics, she makes her lyrics SING!!!

To state that her renditon of Fly Me To The Moon matches Sinatra is disingenuous. In reality she obliterates it. Likewise Tony Bennett's San Francisco. And although she does an absolutely superlative job with "Guess Who I Saw Today", Nancy Wilson's version is the definitive version of this tune. Not that this takes anything away from Carmen, no to the contrary. It merely acknowledges the fact that the pantheon of African-American Empresses of this Black artform called Jazz is not restricted to a few but encompasses the divinely gifted many.

So sit back, relax, kick off you shoes and let this incomparable artist soothe your very soul.
3077519
Gorgeous- splendid or sumptuous in appearance, coloring, etc.; magnificent. Characterized by magnificence or virtuosic brilliance.

Gorgeous truly describes this CD by master musician and software engineer Doug Wyatt. Though this is an instrumental piece (though voices are used throughout), the music has a depth and polish that reminds me of the latest Kate Bush production. The sounds are rich and spacious.

The styles of music span a range from soundtrack-ish classical to prog to wonderfully weird electronic. There are themes that reappear throughout the CD in a filmic or symphonic mode, giving the sense of a whole composition, not just a selection of songs.

The layering of acoustic and electronic sounds yields a sonic palette that is both familiar and brand new, classic yet ground-breaking. The Christoffer Lundquist production is sumptuous, and the attention to sonic detail is quite evident.

In short, this is a highly engaging CD that reveals itself in layers. I've enjoyed playing it over and over on my daily commutes.