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review by Dene Bebbington The Opposite Way is the debut solo album of the young and artistically gifted musician Shayne White. His musical background started with mediaeval and Celtic harp, he plays in the Celtic and early music ensemble Distant Oaks and these influences have been carried over into this album whose inspiration comes from the scenery of northern California. I should point out that the commercial version of this album is split across two CDs, whereas the review version fitted on one CD-R. Harp has been mixed with electronic sounds before (the new age duo 2002 comes to mind) but this is an album with an unusual choice of styles. Saying that, it does work quite well in that it sounds neither overly electronic or acoustic, nor especially old fashioned or modern. Many tracks have a happy feel to them, and overall the music is melodic - it's here that the mediaeval influences are most noticeable. The slightly moody and less Celtic sounding tracks "Waterdome" and "Waterdome Grove" appealed to me the most, leading me to imagine finding a small hidden lake and waterfall in an eerie land. The longest track, "Silver Waterfall," coming in at around half an hour, is perhaps the most accessible of the album. It's comprised of four movements representing each of the seasons and is the most electronic track with plenty of synths and effects, though the older style melodies feature in some of the movements. It also contains some drum effects in places where it strays towards a soft rock feel. I can't say that The Opposite Way lights my fire; what I can say, though, is that it's an interesting release with a lot of life and a love for the parts of California which inspired it. It should appeal to those looking for something different in electronic music and to new age listeners. |
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