Gorgeous
Peace Brotha | Ohio, United States | 12/07/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Just got back in from an early Sunday morning drive while listening to this CD. I can say that Fragile State has outdone themselves.
To my ears, this set sounds like a perfect fusion of Zero 7, John Barry and Jimmy Webb with a little Ennio Morricone thrown in for good measure. Atmospheric arrangements abound, and they always have an Air (notice the hint towards the group) of mystery about them without ever sounding like a sacrifice is about to take place.
My only caveat is that I had to turn the bass all the way up in order to get it to the levels of other music in this genre, so the sound wouldn't be quite so flat. Not sure if it was only my copy, or if the group purposely wanted the bass to be understated.
No matter. Voices From The Dust Bowl is one of the best things in its musical category to come along within the past 5 years...and that's really saying something since this field is loaded with talent.
"
Simply magnificent
Peace Brotha | 06/28/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"upon first listen, i really wasn't that impressed. there's an understated grace to many of the tracks on this cd that requires repeated play. i soon realized what a treat this album is--at least half the songs here are absolute masterpieces (and i don't use that term lightly). check out "new bassa" for a good example of Fragile State's brilliant and unique songcraft at work."
One of the most beautiful things I have ever heard
jason | Victoria, British Columbia Canada | 10/29/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Have you ever bought an album on a whim, thrown it in the cd player, and started to cry in joy almost the moment it began to play?I did with this one. This is gorgeous stuff, stuff that I really can't even begin to explain. I don't really have a lot of "chillout" experience, so maybe what Fragile State does here has been done before... but my God. It even feels a little cheezy, like love songs for some futuristic sci-fi/romantic comedy. But for some reason it's tough to compare to any other cd I have."