Tim
Group: Admins
Posts: 28
Joined: July 2001 |
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Posted: Sep. 22 2005, 16:38 |
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I have been resisting writing a review for a while now, primarily because I'm not really capable of writing the in-depth technical and musical analyses people might want to read. Nevertheless, simmo2005's post inspired me to write down some thoughts - I hope you enjoy reading them.
Rather than attempt to review the album in the traditional fashion, I will review the tracks in the order in which I would rank them; I will start with what I like the least, finishing my review with my favourite track.
Here goes...
Romance
I don't like trance/dance music, and thus don't like this one at all. Mike's distinctive screaming guitar does make an appearance, but it is drowned out by the fast beat and trancey synths.
Closer
Not unpleasant. It plods along, then it finishes. Would not sound out of place on one of the TSODE singles. I think I read somewhere (probably in German on http://oldfield.de) that one of the bonus tracks (presumably Pres de Toi) is this track but with the bagpipes left in. If I interpreted that correctly, I look forward to hearing it when the final release arrives!
Quicksilver
Another dance track. Fans of the seemingly ubiquitous Tubular Bells introduction-style piano will love this track. For those of us who think that this has cropped up too many times before, this track will seem like a bit of a cliché. I just read the description of this track on Mike's site where he says it isn't a dance track. Hmm. Thinking about it, I would say that this track is better if you listen to it whilst trying to imagine the dolphins, underwater movement and bubbles which Mike said he had in mind when he wrote it; there are certainly some bubbly sounds in there!
Nightshade
I wasn't sure if I liked this one or not at first, but listening to it in the car made me realise that it's probably best suited to listening to whilst zooming through the countryside on sunny days than listening to at home. There's not a lot more I can say about this track, really. I like the acoustic guitar and layered vocals, and the timpani are a nice touch, but the rest doesn't really stand out.
Slipstream
Another dancey track which doesn't really stand out, apart from the very eerie Vocaloid section a couple of minutes in. This, coupled with some strange pitch-shifting synth noises give this track quite a dark, eerie feel: totally consistent with the concept of 'shade', I feel.
The Gate
Another eerie track. This is a somewhat experimental piece comprising various Vocaloid voice harmonies and little else. Quite unique. I don't think I've been to the museum in Ypres which inspired this, but I have visited other war memorials and museums in northern France. Keeping these and the vast graveyards of fallen soldiers in mind whilst listening does give this track more depth.
Resolution
I wish I could have ranked this track more highly; it's great. Or rather, it would be great if it wasn't for a wailing Vocaloid voice which is almost physically painful to listen to. I'm guessing that this was a result of the influence the Iraq war had on Mike, since he mentions that happening as he recorded this one. Although Vocaloid is an undeniably interesting development, in my opinion, this track pushes it far beyond its limits. Other than that, this is a good one. The backing strides along forcefully, and the layered vocal parts are interesting.
Our Father
Quite where the papal links in this track are, I'm not sure, but it's not a bad one. A pleasant tune, but it lasts too long.
First Steps
It's nice to hear some more of the themes in MusicVR (TL) being recycled to form a proper track, albeit a slightly disjointed one.
Ringscape
I particularly like the organ that carries this track almost all the way through. Some will be pleased to hear that this one recycles the much-talked-about Owl Cavern theme. It's a nice track.
Angelique
A gentle synth and piano tune start this track, shortly followed by some Vocaloid voices. This is pleasant, but the track gets much better when the bass, organ and guitar parts kick in. I really like the smooth electric guitar sound on this one, and for me, the bass is reminiscent of the Tubular Bells side one finale bassline.
Surfing
As the track supposedly to be released as a single, this is an interesting one. Unlike most of the other tracks, which use Vocaloid mostly for backing or effects, this is a proper song. Its lyrics are quite strange and ambiguous. I would say that the 'surfing' to which they refer is most likely of the Internet variety. I find this track catchy, and have found myself whistling it on more than one occasion!
Blackbird
I love pianos, so I'm probably biased when I put this one in my top five. Quite a moody, emotional track which is mostly piano-based, but has a few bits of swirly synthesiser too. I decided not to read Mike's descriptions of the tracks until I'd listened to them. I wanted to form my own images and see how close I was to what Mike had in mind when he wrote the music. For Blackbird, I imagined Mike was probably inspired by what he could see in his garden on a summer evening. I was therefore quite surprised to read that the title was actually inspired by one of his motorcycles!
Sunset
A variation on the Maestro 'end theme', this track pads out the game music and makes it a lot richer. The acoustic guitar is a welcome addition, and I love the way Mike has used Vocaloid in this track. It's a warm, triumphant end to the first CD. This is another one I can't stop whistling. It's fun to play along to on the keyboard, too!
Rocky
Like I said, I love pianos, and I really like this track. On his site, Mike describes himself a 'lousy pianist'. I disagree. I've always liked Mike's style of playing piano and keyboards, and this track is no exception. It's a lovely melody; relaxing, and thoroughly enjoyable. There is only one bad thing I have to say about this track: its audio quality is terrible. There is a loud hiss all the way through the track which I really hope is fixed on the final release, since it's not subtle, and jumps out at me every time. That said, it doesn't totally spoil it, and I still think it's a great track.
Tears of an Angel
This is by far my favourite track on the album. It starts in a bizarre fashion with a slightly harrowing thirty seconds of discordant strings before almost coming to a halt and launching into a completely different, much more mellow introduction which fits in with the rest of the track. The percussion and backing are great, with plenty of real guitar playing to balance out all the synthy stuff. Although this track is on Shade and has an inherently sad theme (according to Mike's description), I find it a much lighter and more joyful track than Surfing. The layered Vocaloid choir reminds me of The Wind Chimes for some reason, and the guitar solo is possibly the most exciting bit in the entire album. Again, its lyrics are quite strange, but I think they work well with the synthetic nature of the voice singing them.
In summary, I would say that this album demonstrates further how versatile Mike is: he can adapt to new technology and change his style accordingly. For long-time fans looking for traditional Oldfield, there isn't a lot of it to be found in Light + Shade. For people who enjoy electronic music or are willing to accept that Mike's style has indeed changed, it will make a good addition to their CD collection.
My advice: Don't judge it until you've heard it. Buy it and then make up your mind!
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tim@tubular.net
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