An album I will always cherish
Steven Guy | Croydon, South Australia | 06/28/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Thank you, Mr. John Foxx, for making this album. It is an album that I know I will be enjoying for a long time.
This recording is collection of pieces of electronic music from one of the great British exponents of this artform and one of the greatest English language lyricists of the last quarter century.
I do not know too much about the instruments used on this album, but it seems that Mr. Foxx has used analogue synthesizers here, rather than more modern sampling or digital keyboards. The result is music which has a somewhat timeless quality to it. For the most part, the compositions of Tiny Colour Movies are miniatures - most of the pieces clock in at under three minutes. As a composer of Ambient music, John Foxx is the equal, if not the superior, of Brian Eno. Many of the works on this new album are "ambient" in nature, but many are more straight forward musical compositions.
Tiny Colour Movies is an album to listen to at any time of the day - early in the morning to late at night. I wish Mr. Foxx every success with this recording of his latest collection of compositions."
The sound of concrete and steel
Elusive | United States | 08/05/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Tiny Colour Movies is a concept album. Like Foxx's Cathedral Oceans series, it is ambient music without vocals, but the atmosphere could not be more different. The Cathedral Oceans albums had a reverent, romantic feel - almost a wordless extension of The Golden Section and "The Garden" in particular. Tiny Colour Movies is about manmade structures - modern architecture - and has a harsh, ominous feel that reminds me of the alienated stance of Foxx's seminal solo album Metamatic.
Like Metamatic, some of the sounds are fascinating, but almost painful to listen to. It's a cold, concrete world Foxx takes you to, a world where the arrogance of mankind manifests itself in concrete and steel, and a single, breathing, warm-blooded human being is reduced to insignificance. I'm not sure I want to be here.
Despite the freshness and originality of this album I can't give it five stars, because although it fascinates me I don't enjoy it that much. The alienation of Tiny Colour Movies also alienates me a bit. I'd rather listen to Shifting City, also a very alienated album but somehow more accessible, perhaps because it has vocals and strong beats.
Definitely worth a listen if you want something different, though."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1
