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Dark Compass

If ever there were an album that was designed to treat your ears to a bit of pampering, this is probably it. The album opens with "When My Ship Comes In", which at first sounds very similar to Pink Floyd's "Post War Dream". Then slowly, but surely it slowly opens up like an unfolding dream sequence, with the help of some beautifully simple piano accompaniment. Weighing in at just over 8 minutes, this is long, but very rewarding track. All through the album, different sounds surface which remind me at times of Pink Floyd, a more psychedelic Beatles and numerous other bands, but there's something more buried deep beneath, something almost personal. With a lot of electronic music, it's easy to feel a kind of detachment, as it often loses it's personal touch with all the electronics. This hasn't happened with this album, which goes towards a very welcoming listening experience. With ten tracks on the album, 2 of which are over 8 minutes and another over 6 minutes, this is not an album you'll want to put on for a quick music fix. This is one of those albums that you choose to play quite deliberately, when you just want to veg out on the sofa and let the music wash over you. Particular stand out tracks for me, are the opener "When My Ship Comes In" which is my favorite and "Anchors Away". Conclusion : If you just want to chill and relax, this is a great album. It's also probably a great album to play when you have a long commute, as it would no doubt take the edge off the rush hour madness.

Skylines

Bloody strange title, even stranger music. Well that was my first impression anyway, and after a few listens, that is my lasting impression. For anyone still missing the God of weirdness, Frank Zappa, this should help alleviate those pangs of loss. As well as the Zapper's influences, there's also some heavy David Allen/Gong overtones, which means this album is seriously out here. Cup of tea anyone? For all the weirdness that this album has to offer, there is still an extremely tight sound buried beneath. In fact there's some seriously good musicianship sprinkled liberally throughout this album. I have to come clean and admit though, I'm not a real fan of this style of music. It's the kind of album I have to be really in the mood to listen to, but having said there's a couple of tracks "Don't Wake Me" and "My Debt to Scientology" that I really love. I can imagine this is a band that's unbelievable to go see live, as a lot of bands of this ilk are. I shall keep my ear to the ground as this is a band out of the ordinary worth keeping an eye on. Conclusion : If you're not in an altered state of consciousness before listening to this album, you will be after you've listened it. Who ever said music was dull, should take their head out of the sand and give this a spin.

Chap with the Wings, Five Rounds Rapid

Sometimes I just like to relax and not have to concern on anything around me. Ambient music goes some way towards achieving this goal, but it still stimulates the mind. This CD is great for anyone want to go to that next step. It's especially good for meditation where you want to drift off to a higher plain. That's not to say that this is just ordinary mindless music. It isn't. It's a wonderful fusing of natural sounds and soothing harmonies. The following is a list of track available on the album and pretty much gives you an idea of what to expect: <ol> <li>Rain Surround</li> <li>River Surround</li> <li>Sea Surround</li> <li>Forest Surround</li> <li>Night Surround</li> </ol> The opening track is my favorite as I just love to curl up in bed, listening to the rain outside. The rest of the tracks pretty much deliver what you'd expect. Sea, also is a particular favorite of mine. There's something about the sounds of nature, that really allows you to take your mind off the hum-drum of life and pause for a moment. Conclusion : Every collection needs an album like this. When everyday life is getting you down and you just want to escape for a while. Hit the play button and relax.

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