Search - Dave Bainbridge :: Veil of Gossamer

Dave Bainbridge is a modern day genius.

Jason Weaver | Nashville, TN USA | 09/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been anticipating this album by Dave Bainbridge ever since I heard that he was working on it on the Iona website(...). I have been a huge fan a IONA for years now, of which Dave has been a large portion of the bands success. Dave's guitar playing is flawless. He can shred with the best of them, yet even in his times of super fast speed runs, his note selection is always unique yet perfect. His acoustic playing is totally innovative, and mindboggling. His synthetic patches are better than any I have ever heard. I actually hated synth, and still do most of it, but Dave has made synth sounds that are not cheezy like the norm, but earthy and natural, yet he speaks through them of the supernatural like no other. As a composer and writer he is a modern day genius. I absolutley love the history of the celtic christianity that is always included in his(and IONA's) work. Dave is a true artist, and craftsmen who speaks of the mysteries of God's kingdom, and inspires the heart like none other. Let no hesitation stop you from buying this album, or any of the IONA albums that Dave has been a mastermind behind."

Passionate Perfection

Karen G. Henry | Florida | 07/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the best recording I have listened to in years, and I will never get tired of it. It is a classic in all respects. Not only does it include all my favorite styles of music-- Celtic, rock, classical, worship-- but it enlists my entire being to take it all in. Genius of composition and virtuousity of performance come together to express a wide range of thoughts and moods in what is a musical experience that is rare indeed. Layers of beautiful instrumentation, fascinating rhythmical textures, angelic voices and mystical lyrics all fabulously work together to showcase what I consider the best feature of all: Bainbridge's soaring electric guitar work. No one sings as he does. "Veil of Gossamer" is a masterpiece.

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A Musical Banquet

Peter Grant | Hobart, Tasmania, AUSTRALIA | 11/23/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Everything that applies to the group Iona - Celtic, spiritual, folk-rock, crossover, retro-progressive - also applies to the new solo album of Iona co-founder Dave Bainbridge. It's a clear demonstration of one of the chief sources of that group's creative drive. Bainbridge is a musical polymath. He wrote, arranged and recorded everything, and played some 20 instruments on this feast of an album. That's not to deny the brilliant guests he brought to the table, including Iona friends like vocalist Joanne Hogg, multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley (especially on pipes and whistles), drummer Frank van Essen and bassist Nick Beggs.



There are some very tasty entrees and side-salads, such as solo guitar pieces "The Seen & the Unseen" and "Seahouses", and the ensemble hymn-like "Until the Tide Turns". But it's the substantial works, "The Everlasting Hills" (20 minutes) and "Star-Filled Skies" (15 minutes), that showcase the breadth of Bainbridge's musical palate. The former is a work of Celtic Christian spirituality written by David Adam and set to music by Bainbridge. At once intensely earthy and yet tingling with otherworldliness, it veers from plain chant to intricate 80s style electric guitar, and baroque church music to rousing symphonic rock. It is a masterful musical exploration of the seasons of the soul.



The concluding suite, "Star-Filled Skies", includes a wonderful Celtic knees-up, with drummer van Essen playing folk fiddle, Donockley on uilleann pipes and whistle, and Bainbridge swapping from bouzouki and mandolin to soaring electric guitar - Celtic folk-rock at its best. After this brief if breathtaking interlude the piece ends on the same contemplative note on which it began, with some heavenly Gaelic singing from Mae McKenna.



To some this album may appear to be a smorgasbord of disparate musical dishes just tossed together for mere entertainment. To me it is more like a carefully planned banquet: coherent, challenging and enormously nourishing.

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