|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
review by Dene Bebbington Spirit Trance is the latest album from one of the few well-known female artists working in the electronic music genre. This is not a straight studio album however, it actually features five tracks from film scores, a version of Schubert's "Ave Maria", and two remixes of tracks from previous albums. It thus doesn't have the cohesiveness of a studio album, but it does hang together fairly well. Fans of Constance's music can rest assured that some of her signature sounds and styles are to be heard on this album. A piece called "Legend" begins the album, and in my opinion it is surely an instant classic. The legend in question is long gone film star James Dean; intended for a film about him this piece of music is superb, the feel is decidedly emotional and reverential as synths vary from gentle to soaring, and a piano plays a lovely melody that is also repeated by the synths. In my view, maybe because I especially like music that is dramatic and tugs at the heartstrings, this has to be the best track on the album. Four of the next five tracks are from a film called I Am. These take us on a journey of massive proportions as the themes range from life on Earth and in the oceans, the development of world religions, to the planets and beyond to other galaxies. In these pieces we experience the grandeur that Constance often conveys with sweeping synth lines and choral effects making the music quite symphonic in style. Saying that, there are also more restrained aspects in many of these tracks, such as "Ocean of Life" where piano and other effects (including wordless vocals) render in sound the image of moving water and different types of fish swimming around. Soundtracks can be a hit and miss affair for listening to away from the context of the film, but I can gladly report that Spirit Trance manages to work well as a standalone musical work. Overall it's a good album with a nice variety of themes that I recommend to anyone who likes their music cosmic, dramatic, or evocative. |
|