AMETHYSTIUM

Aphelion

Neurodisc Records (2002)

reviewed by Bill Binkelman

Neatly avoiding the dreaded sophomore slump, Norwegian artist Øystein Ramfjord, who records as Amethystium, has released Aphelion, another immediately accessible and enjoyable collection of delectable ear candy. Once again, he shows a deft hand at crafting songs full of infectious beats, melodic hooks, and interesting subtleties. Also once again, the music is expertly produced and mixed and the tunes themselves are polished to a nice chromium sheen. Keyboards glisten and sparkle when they're supposed to, synth strings are lush and sensuous, and vocal chants (a la Enigma/Delerium) are blended in with the beats and melodies with almost surgical precision.

So, what's new here? Actually, quite a bit. Ramfjord incorporates more overt vocals on some tracks (which may or may not sit well with everyone - personally, I liked the additional singing most of the time) and he also adds some new world fusion wrinkles here and there (such as the opening tabla on "Garden of Sakuntala"). Of course, fans of his first effort (Odonata) won't be disappointed by songs like the opening "Shadow to Light" which opens with haunting female choruses on top of a bed of liquid synths, only to have some rapid-fire broken beats enter the mix, followed soon by one of Ramfjord's patented synth sounds echoing out a lonely plaintive refrain.

Three guest vocalists are mentioned by name in the liner notes, and one of them, Joyelle Brandt, shines through on "Autumn Interlude," the track which features real "lyrics," and it's an album highlight. Tapping into the same vein as Delerium did when Sarah McLachlan sang with them, Ramfjord lays down a mellow chill-out beat, echoed piano, and soaring synth flute, before Ms. Brandt's delicious multi-tracked vocals emerge from the shadows, weaving a heady and sexy spell of both wordless and lyric singing.

Another way that Ramfjord has evolved since Odonata is his more complex rhythms and a more adventurous approach to the layering of his arsenal of keyboards. Aphelion is not just Odonata part 2. "Elvensong" opens with pulsing clipped beats and then folds in sampled/midi electric guitar, romantically soaring synths, and a sad melodic refrain. Synth choruses and piano later tie it all in with the usual Amethystium "sound." "Ad Astra" incorporates backward-looped beats, the characteristic Amethystium synth "horn" and echoed keyboards, all wrapped up in plenty of drama via some nicely layered-in vocal chants. The bridge on this track pumps up the beats to a subdued volume (but lighting-fast in tempo) and also tosses in frame drum and quasi-Berlin zapping synths. See what I mean by saying Ramfjord has aimed a little higher? Winding down at the end, Aphelion ends with "Berceuse," a track which approaches floating ambient sensibilities at the start with its washes of keyboards and then evolves into some nicely chilled beats and a somber nostalgic melodic refrain on the keyboards.

Whoever at Neurodisc Records was smart enough to grab this guy from mp3.com (where his first album initially was sold) and snag him for the label should be given a new BMW. Amethystium/Øystein Ramfjord crafts some of the best chill-out music around these days. Aphelion is sweet stuff for lovers of that particular subgenre of ambient and new age music that features sensuous beats, breathy choruses and chants, and a wide array of warmly melodic synths. From the bubbling sexiness of "Exultation" to the glitch-ambient touches that grace the opening of "Gates of Morpheus" to the percolating synths, shuffling high hats, and sultry wordless vocals of "Shibumi," this CD is flat-out gorgeous and begs to be cranked up and grooved to, either on your living room floor or in your car speeding down the highway. Recommended.