Like a fine wine, Anneli's voice has gotten better with age. Although I still prefer their first 3 albums (White-Out Conditions, Birds of Passage, and Shimmering...), I thought this album was just as good, though not as strong. I think "Images" and "Sun" are the 2 best songs here, but that's me. I like "Sun" because it reminds me of the type of vocoder sequencing Klaus Schulze used on his "Audentity" album.
For Shame. Outside of "Shimmering," this is their best album, hands down. The production is stellar, the mood is deep and brooding. It's an emotion you never get to hear. It's a shame for those who don't get it...maybe one day it will open up to you, or you to it. 'Rush' is dark, churning and otherworldly. 'Spacejunk' has a housey, joyous feel, to keep some light in the album (alongside the quirky and out there 'The Dinosaur Slipper Man'). 'Heaven' closes the story telling album with the purest of ache, following one of the moodiest songs I've ever heard, 'Sun,' a song that represents a true connection to the aching soul. 'Hear, In the Shadow,' wraps up the feel of the album in one track. It's vocal centric, yet produced organically enough to marry the sounds of smoothness, darkness, and hurt. A must have for your collection.
This album is by no means boring, but it certainly isn't the sort of music to stick in your head. It's all very melancholy and moody, but apart from a few like Verena and Sun, and to a lesser extent Here, In Shadow, I wouldn't bother with most of them. The overuse of reverb and echo in the recordings sounds a bit amateurish, which is a pity.
I read the review above and thought I'd write my first review.. ever.. here on Emusic.. I downloaded Sun, track 11 and found that the 30 second preview was not the whole story, yet the preview, I did like. In other words, the track is fantastic! And I will see about some others. Thanks you for reading this.
Like their other CDs since Magic Box, there is not much to like in this album.
