Release Date: July
10, 2006
Label: Solovey Music
The first track on the album is "Threshold."
Ethereal and drifting with flutes and an electronica based backdrop, the music
brought me to a place of introspection far away from the swirling chaos that
makes up most of my days. It was as if I were perched on a threshold to another
place…a place of peace and tranquility that if I just took another step, it
could be mine. The flute urges you forward even as the cosmic wave of the
electronica pushes and whispers you to a dwelling where that elusive joy is
hiding. Voices break over you and the music funnels you down a new rabbit
hole…the journey is just beginning.
"Inner Peace" is another song that captured my
attention at the onset. Harp sounds and chirping insects make it seem as if
you, the listener, are in the middle of a forest, being lulled forward toward
an enchanted paradise. Just one step closer toward the pool…just one more. The
ethereal music drifts in the background like a hidden current pushing you along
toward your destination. This is what happiness sounds like and if sound could
be painted in color, it would be a spiraling ribbon of shimmering blue,
wrapping around and around in layers of gossamer silk, one delicate note at a
time.
"Borealis" urges you toward the end of your
comfort zone. Icy and grinding, you mark your passage with effort and are ever
working toward your next destination. The price of enlightenment comes with
great perseverance. The sound of flutes and the bitter winter wind skitter
along the top of the ice as you reach for the next fork in the road…the next
vision of flickering lights to direct your path forward. Beautiful and
treacherous, the way ahead will not be an easy one. Growling and grinding
electronica and percussive elements mark your progress and the undying urge to
find enlightenment at any cost.
Crystalline Dream have begun a journey of sorts with Threshold. Using the ethereal and at
times sparse elements of electronic music, it is blended with percussive elements,
flute, harp and other sounds such as whispered chants or insects. This
instrumental New Age experience focuses on enlightenment and is the beginning
of what so far is a five album progression toward grace. It is a pleasant
sounding album that any fan of New Age music will vastly enjoy.
4/5
Stars
Key
Tracks: Threshold, Borealis, Inner Peace
Tracks:
01. Threshold
02. Ethereal Gauze
03. Solar Flight
04. Evensong
05. Inner Peace
06. West Wind
07. Crystalline Dream 1
08. Crystalline Dream 2
09. Crystalline Dream 3
10. Borealis
11. Threshold (Reprise)
01. Threshold
02. Ethereal Gauze
03. Solar Flight
04. Evensong
05. Inner Peace
06. West Wind
07. Crystalline Dream 1
08. Crystalline Dream 2
09. Crystalline Dream 3
10. Borealis
11. Threshold (Reprise)
Dana
Wright, Sr. Staff Writer
July 9, 2016
Review
Provided By New Age Music Reviews