Solar Fields - Earthshine

[AkumaSama]

I love solar fields. This is his bestest album yet

[Pandemonium]

This album is a dreamy journey with warm atmospheres floating around long melodies that tend to hypnotize the mind. Words like classy, mature, & intelligent come to mind when listening to this essential piece of creativity. Trance music completely re-defined through magical soundscapes. I would have to call this dream trance, because thats all I will be doing while listening to this album. ambient music over tight crisp clean bass lines

[RTP]

okay, meanwhile I have listened to it often enough to say something definite.

 

I really was waiting for this one eagerly, counted the days until Wirikuta finally had it. Had high expectations ... and I'm happy they got met at least partly. EarthShine is a good, solid album. But it could be better!

 

The first track is awesomely perfect, it grabbed me by the balls from start on and didn't let me go. And after many listenings it's still as wonderful as it was at the beginning ... a perfect progressive trance track. Second track as well ... more club atmosphere in that one and even more progression - I like it a lot! But then it begins, sneaks in. Slowly. What follows is actually good music, that's positive, but it kinda doesn't have so many highlights anymore, which is not that positive. I mean, yeah, it's really good when I listen to three of the six remaining tracks, but when I listen to all of them it becomes kinda monotonous, you know? It's good that a certain atmosphere is present throughout the album, I actually am a sucker for just this scandinavian trance atmosphere which is not present in many albums, closest artists to this style being 12 Moons and Matenda ... but I would have wished to have more (and less) drive in the one or the other track, more variation, even if that would have gone on costs of the atmosphere. Black Arrow is still cool, good track with good finish. Brainbow stands out a bit as being the best one of the six, but it's a bit too long. Spectral Nation is much too long as well, it wouldn't need 12 minutes to bring its point across. But track 7 is the weakest one, I occasionally skip it (!!! - SKIPPING in an Ultimae album, something I NEVER did before!). The last one, Cruise, is better again, fortunately. A quite good closer, I like the the calm part with the melody in the middle ... after being through the impression that lasts is satisfaction...

 

Well, what does this mean now? I think the album is good, certainly one of the better releases that comes out these days. But it also leaves me with a bit of hunger after being through ... I was expecting it to be kinda as awesome as Magnus' Ambient works. I was expecting it to be THE album of the year! But sorry, the top, that's a point it can't reach

Bonus points for the first two tracks though, they're absolutely awesome! I really like to put the album in the player for just those two!

Conclusio: not the best, but one of the better albums this year

 

I'm happy that the next Solar Fields release will be ambient again ... the only downside is that we need to wait until November next year for it.

But a new H.U.V.A. Network album will come as well

 

My only complaint would be that this time there isnt a book insert inside like there usually is

YES, DAMN YES! I was shocked to see this as well. They really could have made a booklet for this one, I was thinking it to be Ultimae standard...

 

Edit: but you know, the EarthShine album is really suitable to write thesis during listening to it. Just a suggestion. I'm serious!

[Pandemonium]

There was none in Oxycanta : Winter Blooms either, but I was not too upset, the music on both CDs is top drawer stuff

For people like me who cut the actual digipak with a scissors so it can fit into a cd case, this is bad. With other Ultimae releases I didnt have to do that. I could put the booklet and cd into my case, and then save the digipak. With this release, the artwork is to beutiful to destroy with a scissors, I might just have to start keeping some of my cds in their original packaging, and not in the case with the others

[Malevol3nt]

Awesome album, liked it since the first listen and I'm enjoying it more and more everyday. 9/10 from me.

 

Ed: And I wouldn't call this trance, it's more of a progressive genre imo.

[Towelie]

For people like me who cut the actual digipak with a scissors so it can fit into a cd case, this is bad. With other Ultimae releases I didnt have to do that. I could put the booklet and cd into my case, and then save the digipak. With this release, the artwork is to beutiful to destroy with a scissors, I might just have to start keeping some of my cds in their original packaging, and not in the case with the others

So you put your money on cd and then cut it in pieces cant you get a bigger cd case ? .. sick fuck .. thats my review of this album 6/10

[Pandemonium]

So you put your money on cd and then cut it in pieces cant you get a bigger cd case ? .. sick fuck .. thats my review of this album 6/10

Im talking about the cd cases where you can slide the disc and booklet into an insert. Anyways I have finally started saving the digipaks, I never thought that I would, but I am.

[Gnome]

Although im not really into proggy trance,that is a very nice listen.

Really enjoyable with a lovely flow.

 

The kind of music i'd love to hear at a festival around 11 in the morning after a wild trippy night.

 

Black Arrow is the best here IMO,brilliant trance tune.

[Sawfly]

I just freakin' love it :posford: The best what 2007 had to offer for sure

 

I've heard alot of shit about it though, seems like most of the downtempo lovers can't stand that he released a trance album

I hope he keeps on releasing both in the future as he seems to be good at it. I actually wish he'd make a new H.U.V.A. Network album with Vincent and include some trance there too

[exotic]

one word .. splendid!!! this is actually pure progressive psychedelic trance. very dancy music. i hope solar fields continues to release more trance like this. brainbow is my favourite track. so dreamy

 

8.5/10 from me.

[Anoebis]

I gave it many many listens, and altough I mostly like dreamy melodic progressive (like S-Range, Human Blue, Matenda, Noma,...) this one was totally NOT my cup of tea

 

I hate to say this, but this album simply sounds boring and mediocre, except for 1 tune: Adjustment, which i absolutely love... Reminds me somehow of LSG - Fragile Part 2, but much harder... And except of that I have no favourites at all, I only listen to that track these days... I re-tried and retried as everyone was so euphoric about it, but lol, tastes can be different it seems :s

 

2/5 thanks to the fantastic Adjustment

[exotic]

i too liked adjustment the first the first time round i heard it ... but it seems brainbow has taken over.

 

Play this track in the middle of a blasting goa set .. u'll the see the reaction.

 

[yohankiwi]

Not going to lie, I'm a tad disappointed by this album. I had really high hopes given Solar Fields previous works and the reviews on here. Don't get me wrong, i still think it's a great album, but most of the tracks really don't live up to the magnitude of Solar Field older stuff. That is with the exception of Black Arrow and Brainbow which are amongst the best songs he has ever written IMO (both definately 11/10 songs). Sooooo beautiful. Black Arrow especially, makes me feel like I'm floating through space and the climax at the end: WOW! The rest of the album doesn't quite live up to these two though, although the opening track, Summer, is also very nice.

 

7/10

[Ormion]

Too be honest I didn't get that excited about this album like most ppl here. The main problem is that in my ears it doesn't sound that trancey. It has a proggy sound that fits perfectly for what Solar Fields is trying to achieve, great morning music. Unfortunately, most songs are building way too slowly even for relaxing morning dance music and end a bit boring.

Standout track is Adjustment!

 

Nice album to hear in wet, sunny mornings. but not a masterpiece 7/10

[yerg]

You people had to see what happened to the crowd when i played Spectral Nation/ That was something really beautiful and high/

 

The melody flowed so well with the beats it somehow created ultimate positive atmosphere and after that i mixed in Prometheus' "Drug Sock" and everybody screamed with pleasure/

 

Maybe the best moment of my not so long dj career/

 

Solar Fields rules/

[psytones]

I haven't heard the full album, but by a cosmic coincidence I heard track number 7 while on a Mescalin/LSA mixture trip. It was AMAZING!

Someone earlier tried bunking this to not be psychedelic trance music (proggy or no). IMO this has key elements that makes it essential psytrance.

 

 

Beautiful music, will defo try to get this in to my collection.

 

 

 

 

Btw. Can you hear the psykovsky sound elements in track number 7 ?

[Jon Cocco]

For me this was a perfect example of a CD that blows you away right out of the gate, but then loses steam from the middle on.

 

I agree. The opening, well the first 4 tracks (2 and 3 especially, for me) are great. I would love more tracks like Kick Back, Black Arrow, and Brainbow. The subtle psy/goa influences compliment the stronger psy/ambient-influenced trance, uptempo.

 

Although there are some solid parts past the opening four numbers (track 5 and 6 has some great atmosphere; Cruse is pretty cool), the general album is noticeably weaker (less infectious) in the second half. I like how the artist approached uptempo though, and would be interested in a follow up to this perhaps at some point.

 

Overall, Earthshine is a good album with some beautiful, great tracks and work. The uptempo style and approach is refreshing, albeit not as riveting (to me at least) as Solar Field's ambient-influenced down (and mid) tempo work.

 

 

 

Favorite tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4.

 

B+

 

.

[Penzoline]

Cruise is such an incredible track. Those subtle wall tearing acid segments push it above and beyond.

 

Rest of the album is absolutely great too, although a couple tracks lose my attention faster than rest. Still to think this was my first introduction to Solar Fields and I haven't even commented on it is a little weird. I would like to hear more mid-uptempo Solar Fields in the future.