Release Date: March 30, 2018
Label: Independent
The
name 7and5 (John Nixon) came from the fact that all musical notes can be
expressed within an octave on a piano as 7 white keys and 5 black keys. That is
the explanation I received from John Nixon over 3 years ago when I covered his
album Themes For A Grey Day.
So, you probably got the hint that 7and5 is a keyboard
player. Well, now you know if you didn’t. So, one day after its release I am
listening to The Lost Voice. Now I remember why I enjoyed his music so much.
I got one step “Closer to Heaven,” with the atmospheric and
intriguing opening track. I think we all get closer to the heavens when we let
the music do all the work. For 7and5 it has been a musical evolution since the
beginning when his first release In A Moments Time came out in 2006.
7and5 is a clever composer and musician. It is not always
the easiest thing taking highly technical music and giving it rhythm and
purpose. That is exactly what he does on The Lost Voice. The cover is very
interesting and thought-provoking, which is yet another aspect of artistry that
I appreciate. Some artist will tell that there is no meaning to the cover on
the CD and say “I thought it was a cool picture.” I do not think that is the
case here.
What you see is a pure white phone on what appears to be on
the white sand of a beach. The main message here is the cord connecting the
phone has no end to it. There is a voice, it is connected but for now, it is
just lost. Perhaps the music will elevate the voice’s purpose so it finds its
way home? Are the cords end at the beginning of the water's edge or at the
skyline? Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe the answer is that we are all
connected to Mother Nature and the significance of the cord leads back to the
ocean from whence all life came from. Are we a lost human race looking for our
way home?
Ok, that is a lot of thought about one picture, I know.
That is positive proof that images can be powerful and when you combine images
and sound you can find your way home. You find your “Presence” is necessary to
receive the messages inside the music. That makes sense to me because I let the
music envelop me, which allows relaxation and complete freedom of thought and
expression. That is what the listening “experience” is for me. It is different
for everyone.
I know one thing for sure, The Lost Voice is a very good
album. Once again, this kind of music reminded of some of my favorite ambient
and atmospheric bands like Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk. The elements of
simplicity with the piano combined with the synths and computer-generated
sounds is like the meeting of the best of both worlds. It takes vision and
intelligence to stand alone and create music like this. It all flows together
from one track to the next like our brain synapses growing with each thought.
The more you use it the stronger and more useful it becomes.
4/5
Stars
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
March 31, 2018
Founder of:
Review
Provided By New Age Music Reviews
Tracks:
01. Closer to Heaven
02. Life at Once
03. Father
04. Mi Deh Yah
05. Glistening
06. Blue Flame
07. Open Up
08. Presence
09. Winter Frost
10. Heart to Heart
11. Man Plans, God Laughs
12. Distant Memory
13. Wavecrest
14. Epilogue
Tracks:
01. Closer to Heaven
02. Life at Once
03. Father
04. Mi Deh Yah
05. Glistening
06. Blue Flame
07. Open Up
08. Presence
09. Winter Frost
10. Heart to Heart
11. Man Plans, God Laughs
12. Distant Memory
13. Wavecrest
14. Epilogue