| REVIEW
WILLIAM LINTON
Wayfarer
SpaceForMusic.com Records (2000)
Wayfarer, by William Linton, is an excellent CD of various types of spacemusic, electronic new age music, and even some darker ambient music. Every track offers a different slant on both rhythmic and non-rhythmic synthesizer soundscapes. The recording is near faultless from the standpoint of engineering and production. Instrumentation quality is quite high and even though the individual tracks vary in mood and type of music, the segues are never too abrupt nor are transitions inconsistent. In short, this is a damn fine album!
"Magician's Dance" opens Wayfarer with a kinetic blend of percussive textures while two over-dubbed oboe-like keyboards carrying an exotic yet accessible melody line. This song compares favorably to what Kevin Braheny and Tim Clark were up on their album, The Spell. The title track (which has two parts) is a mini-spacemusic opus (not quite eight minutes in length), with lots of twinkling synths, washes, and other various electronic studio wizardry. The discernible transition from part one to part two moves the music into Constance Demby-like sacred spacemusic territory with bell-tones, lush choirs, and huge expanses of synths. The mix of the various synths on this entire track is superb, by the way (production is by Linton and he has done a marvelous job throughout the recording).
As I said above, every song on this CD contains plenty of great music for fans of classic electronic new age music as well as spacemusic from the golden era (late '80s to early '90s). But I don't mean that to infer that Wayfarer sounds overly "retro," because it doesn't. Some of the musical "impressions" are suggestive of music from that era, but the actual instrumentation is absolutely state of the art and current.
"The Private Sea" will win over fans of Liquid Mind, Robert Haig Coxon, and Anthony Baskey, among others, with its serene patient washes, mellow synth effects, and celestial bell tones. Engineering on this track (at least on my copy) revealed (on headphones) a barely noticeable bit of hiss or background noise - but you really have to listen for it to hear it. It certainly didn't detract from my sheer enjoyment of the music. The album's longest song is the darker "Strange Tales" which carries the CD over into more ambient/dark ambient territory for a brief visit. Distorted vocal effects and what sounds like altered didgeridoo intermingle with lower register drones and eerie sustained cymbal-like noises. Yet, somehow, Linton brings musicality to this melange of elements (no small feat, that). As the cut progresses, it moves deeper into scarier soundscapes featuring eerie washes of high-pitched minor synths, heavily echoed, and disturbing atonalities - all of it done way cool! Later still, things quiet down but still retain an edginess and alien-vibe (Krell-like perhaps?). In the track's final stages, rhythmic percussion and a decidedly cheerier tone take over, as if the listener has cleared the border of this threatening landscape and is headed toward a friendlier destination.
Two short cuts close out Wayfarer: the gentle yet lively "Rain" (again, there is a similarity to another Braheny and Clark CD, this time - of course, their classic, Rain) and the serene yet haunting fantasy-laced "Lorien."
I honestly can't believe that this tremendously enjoyable and well-done album received so little acclaim when it was released in 2000. I can't rave enough about Wayfarer and William Linton's considerable talents as composer and performer. For once, a quote in an album's liner notes is an understatement. Per the back of the CD, "Music from the Hearts of Space called his (Linton's) work 'quintessential spacemusic.' " To that praise, I'll merely add "Damn straight!" My highest recommendation!
review by Bill Binkelman
Wayfarer
William Linton
2000/SpaceForMusic.com Records
41:15
By Kathy Parsons, Solo Piano Publications
I reviewed William Linton’s solo piano album, “Piano Sketches,” earlier this year, and fell in love with it. Linton is more widely known for his electronic ambient and space music, and I was very curious about what his “other” music was like. “Wayfarer” is a fascinating “fantasy electronic” musical journey. With a variety of rhythms and melody lines, this album is both incredibly relaxing, and at the same time, stimulating. Most of the tracks have a very serene and peaceful feel to them, and then comes “Strange Tales,” which is very dark and mysterious. I love it! Almost ten minutes in length, “Tales” seems to go more deeply into a frightening place as the piece evolves. The feeling for the first six minutes or so is one of being lost in perhaps a very dark cave. There is no real desperation, but it is very tense - this isn’t a place we want to linger in any longer than necessary! Then there is a bit of a bang and the rhythm changes completely, gradually bringing us back up into the light. I love the way the tonal colors and moods change within this piece. “Crystal Ship” is a shimmering gem. The bell-like tones stay in the upper ranges, and yet this is still a very mysterious piece. “Rain” is another real favorite. This one reminds me a little of Suzanne Ciani’s early electronic work. Light and gentle, this is a spring rain that dances on a pond and makes new blossoms sparkle when the sun returns. Every piece on this album is excellent, and each tells its own story. As a whole, the experience is of a journey to a different world. The music evokes visual imagery, allowing the listener to surrender control and let the mind wander with the music. I first listened to “Wayfarer” in my wake-up CD player. Ambient music tends to put me back into a deep sleep, but “Wayfarer” is so interesting, that I wanted to stay awake to fully experience the music in a relaxed state. I listened to it many times that way, and it has become one of my favorite albums. “Wayfarer” is available from www.spaceformusic.com and www.emeraldcastlemusic.com.
|
|
|
