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Review by Bill Binkelman I'm not as enamoured of this latest offering from multi-instrumentalist Ron Imhoff (a.k.a. Chemistry) as I was of his debut effort under that pseudonym, although the album is definitely an improvement in many areas, such as technical quality, instrumentation, and overall artistic approach. My problem was that I couldn't warm to the abundant use of ebow on some tracks which, to my ears, resembled rock guitar too much for my tastes. Obviously, not everyone will make that connection, so take my comment with liberal doses of salt. When Imhoff concentrates more on acoustic and standard electric guitar, as well as his synths and percussion, he displays a keen sense for both melody and rhythms (both of which were in evidence on Chemistry's first CD). There are nine tracks on the album and two are over eight minutes long which in this genre may seem like it's stretching it a bit, although one of these, "Winds of Time," succeeds despite the length. Imhoff opens with one of the stronger cuts, the cheery "Paradise" on which guitars, ebow and hand drums paint a delightful picture of beauty set to a midtempo beat. "Moonlight Serenade" marks the first occurrence of nature sounds, which the artist himself recorded in northwestern New Jersey. Nocturnal creatures merge with the somewhat somber, yet subtly powerful, piece, carried along by multi-tracked acoustic guitars and dramatic sweeping synth washes. Nearly all the songs' titles are inspired by nature: "Dawn's New Light," "Dance of the Whales," "Starlit Night," "Northern Lights," "Winds of Time," "Forest Lullaby" and the music does, at times, evoke images suggested by the words. The gradual building of guitars, ebow, and percussion in "Dawn's New Light" suggests the slow emergence of the morning sun, morphing into a feeling of celebration and joy from an initial quietness. Curiously, "Starlit Night" opens with the sound of falling rain and thunder although maybe the intention is to suggest clearing skies that gradually reveal the canopy of stars overhead. Swirling drone-ish keyboards, twinkling synths, and soaring ebow all contribute to a sensation of spaciness (the mix on this track is among the best on the album). "Northern Lights," one of my favorite songs here, also seems like it's somewhat from a different album, opening with excellent synth cellos and orchestral basses, evolving into a great piano and synth number. It eventually becomes more in keeping with the rest of Wings of Sound with the addition of ebow and guitar (although, I would've preferred less of the two latter instruments). The ambitious eight-and-a-half minute "Winds of Time" is the closest track here to ambient music, featuring Jon Durant-like guitar textures, undercurrents of drones, and clinking/twinkling effects. Imhoff finds just the right vibe on this song. "Forest Lullaby" closes things out with birdsong and lush flowing mellotron-like keyboards and piano. The piece is both serene yet dramatic (a frequent juxtaposition that Imhoff seems to favor in his music). Wings of Sound is one of those albums which, as an objective reviewer, I have one opinion (quite favorable, since the album displays abundant technical skill and artistic quality) and yet as a listener (meaning subjectively from a personal taste standpoint) I have a different one (I just couldn't embrace the presence of so much ebow on the CD). I don't hesitate in recommending the CD because it obviously has much in its favor. That I never really "got into it" represents more my bias/taste than it does any failing of the artist or his music. |
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