Matt Coldrick & Matt Hillier - Elemental Journey - Absolute Ambient.com Volume 2

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Matt Coldrick & Matt Hillier

Elemental Journey - Absolute Ambient.com Volume 2

Green Nuns Music

July 2005

Ambient

 

Tracklist

 

1 Terra Firma (12:08)

2 The Band From Atlantis (12:21)

3 Fire Dance (14:17)

4 Where The Evening Meets The Sky (7:24)

5 Air (23:27)

 

I picked this up cheap a few years ago, gave it a quick listen & instantly relegated it to the not good enough to listen to again pile. Then there was a load of hype on this site & I decided to give it another whirl to see what all the fuss was about. Once again I found it boring, it just lacked the energy to grab my attention & I found my mind wandering away on to other things like food & what was on TV & before I knew it the CD was over & I hadn't really listened to it at all. I was once again left unimpressed.

Then earlier this year (2007) I went hiking one thursday, I walked long & far and came back to my house very very tired physically but so mentally alive. I came into my house grabbed an ambient CD to take me on a journey & collapsed on the bed! That CD just happened to be Elemental Journey an album I had been disappointed with twice before. This time however I was totally blown away by the intricacy, atmosphere & whole journey of this music. It took my mind away and then brought it back again. This is definitely a distraction free album, it should be listened to alone in a darkened room preferably horizontal!

 

1. Terra Firma

We start off floating over the ground. Long ambient drones in the background, some tuneless tribal flute here & there. Around 2 minutes in soft beats appear and a short earthy melody which is very mystical & eastern sounding. Although an earthy track it still has a very floaty feel to it. Floating not among the clouds or over the sea but flying low over the land, low enough to see the people, the animals & the individual trees.

A beautiful visual track full of eastern vibes, floating atmospheres & earthy sounds.

 

2. The Band From Atlantis

If the last track was earthy then we must have reached the shore becasue the band from atlantis is very wet. You can here the waves lapping against the shore, distant sea gulls barely make there presence felt but are unmistakable. You can hear the ocean breeze melt into a pseudo melody. Guitar cords randomly placed manage to fit in perfectly but it's the subtle baseline that breathes extra life into this track. It's so subtle that it is easily missed but once found it's unmistakable.

The band comes to life around the 7 and a half minute mark. The drummer drums, the bassist strums, the guitarist plays his subtle cords and the guy with the sound effect machine is watching Dr. Who? This track doesn't have the floatiness of the 1st one, it's more like sitting on the beach half watching the tide come in & half watching the band perform in the distance.

 

3. Fire Dance

Instant Energy. Not energy that will make your body move but energy that will make your brain shift. The word undulating comes to mind & the whole track seems strangely alive.

The string melody is phenomenal & I'm surprised every time when it leads into the beat. The beats seem big & powerful without actually being so. It's just such a contrast from the ambience that precedes it that it seems so, much. More life, the track seems to evolve as it twists & turns but carries on in the same direction.

As the beats leave the 1st time it seems that the fire in the belly has been extinguished but the spark that is left gives birth to a nice tribal sound. Tribal beats & a nice bassy synth are in the driving seat now. The atmosphere is all about power. It's a big track, tight & growing, evolving throughout. When the energy dissipates it remains the same yet different from itself.

 

4. Where the Evening Meets the Sky

We are floating again but now we are up among the clouds where we deserve to be. When the beats come in & the melody I can feel the clouds racing past, brushing my skin, giving me goosebumps. Every strum of the strings sends a shiver down my spine & into my stomach. Like being on a roller coaster when you fall down & lose your stomach. When they run into the melody & the brief vocals it's not my stomach that is lost but my ability to think coherently.

The only problem with this track is that it's too short.

 

5. Air

Happily keeping with the floating in the sky feeling. At over 23 minutes this track can really take it's time, knowing there is no need to rush & so we can get an ultra relaxed, peaceful feeling. A slight indian vibe is introduced as if we're going home but even though we are nearing the end of our journey there is no rush for the finish line. If we are floating high amongst the clouds then that beautiful female vocal must be a goddess. Beautiful enough to be disappointed when it leaves, as if I wanted to go back. Maybe it's a psiren & better left behind. She returns though, very tempting to lose myself in her but thankfully as she fades away the music more than fills the void she left. I'm put in mind of travelling through a black hole with Flash Gordon but instead of landing on an inhospitable alien world I end up right where I started, high among the clouds breathing deeply the fresh air.

For such a long track the time does sure pass quickly, without much energy it manages to stay interesting until the end, evolving as it goes, finally finishing with a feeling of softly falling down out of the sky to land nicely on the freshly cut grass.

 

 

 

So then, not bad for an album I found boring & uninspired on the 1st two listens. This album is definitely a mood album. To enjoy it & to appreciate it fully you need to be in the right frame of mind, the right place and without any distractions from other people or your PC. Just you & the music is the way to go for sure.

 

If you have this & you don't like it, don't sell it or trade it away, keep it & one day it just might hit you & enter your list of favourite ambient gems!