Blue Stone - Messages.nfo
GENERAL INFORMATION
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Album: Messages
Artist: Blue Stone
Year: 2009
Genre: New Age / Electronic / Downtempo / Ambient
DESCRIPTION
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The stylistic differences between Breathe and Worlds Apart were so great that I checked both albums' liner notes to make sure they were released by the same "Blue Stone". In contrast, I nearly mistook Messages for a thorough remix of Worlds Apart at first listen. While still a winning combination, many of the synth tones and sequences (note the verses on Hypnotized(14) and choruses on Open Sky(6)), the muted pianos and layered, processed vocals tread familiar textural ground. Now, having gone back and listened to both albums a few times, I no longer find them to be quite that similar, but there are a lot of common elements.
Like the previous album, Messages is a collection of collaborations with female guest vocalists. Sheyenne Rivers returns for three songs and provides solid performances in line with her contribution to World's Apart. She's joined on Wait for the Sun(4) by Veronika Gunter's spoken-word performance in German, which adds some unique character to the album. Samantha Sandlin also returns for three tracks, including the particularly beautiful Open Sky(6). New to the project is Sara Bloomfield, who lends her voice to six songs, my favorites being the vocalize-heavy Lotus Bloom(7) and Ancient Echoes(10). The two remaining vocalists perform only one song each. Set Me In The Sun(11), voiced by Sara Day Evans, fits smoothly into the album. Hang On(4) really stands out, as it's a bit more major and upbeat than the rest of Messages - it wouldn't be out of place on an Imogen Heap release. This one is sung by Bridin Brennan, whose surname you may already be familiar with, as she has sisters who go by "Enya" and "Moya". Pulling in the Brennan name, with outside songwriting no less (this is the only song on the album not at least co-written by the core members of Blue Stone), seems like it may have been more of a commercial decision than an artistic one, but the fact is that the song fits into the album very nicely. Though it wasn't written by Blue Stone, it was certainly produced by them.
Most of the album's songs involve dark, mysterious, alluring minor-key verses punctuated by major choruses, not unlike Delerium's recent work. Drums are heavily processed throughout, as best exemplified on the particularly glitchy Ancient Echoes(10). The vast majority of the supporting instrumentation seems to be straight synthesis - there's a slight shift toward digital, glassy and metallic textures on Messages, but the fundamental tone is very similar to Worlds Part. I've read promotional material indicating that Bill Walters plays a variety of exotic instruments on the album, but with the notable exception of the intro to Lotus Bloom(7), only trace elements of live percussion are apparent through the layers electronic production. Messages is a little too dark and rhythmically charged for a mellow, meditative, truly New Age experience, but it is full of great grooves, ethereal vocals, and exquisite production that I highly recommend to fans of groups like Delerium, Balligomingo, and Sleepthief. If you loved Worlds Apart and want more of that sound, Messages won't disappoint you. If you really crave variety, though, owning both albums might be redundant. - http://www.orphicmusic.com/AE/reviews.php?id=bluestone
FILE INFORMATION
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Number of Tracks: 15
Total Duration: 1:13:25
Total Size: 499 MBs (including scans, m3u, spectrums, and nfo)
NOTE: the hi-rez scans are about 20 MBs
Parity Archive: Yes, 7%
Ripped By: NMR
Files Created on: NMR
Ripped With: NMR
Encoded At: lossless, FLAC / 44.1 KHz
ID3 Tags: Yes
NFO Created: 22 April 2015
Tracklist
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01) Midnight Tides
02) Open Your Eyes
03) Deja Vu
04) Hang On
05) Wait For The Sun
06) Open Sky
07) Lotus Bloom
08) Come Alive
09) Moving Forward
10) Ancient Echoes
11) Set Me In The Sun
12) Bridges
13) The Silence
14) Hypnotized
15) Messages
POSTING
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