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Artist: Simon Williams Reviews:
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The other version of this superb album, which Simon released earlier, features nature sounds tastefully intermixed with this great collection of beat-driven electronica selections. On the "Inner City Mix" of the CD, the sounds have been stripped away, leaving only the pumping rhythms, silky synths, and infectious melodies. I think this CD is a perfect "driving" album, especially since the cuts flow into one another seamlessly, despite their individual differences (in some ways, this sounds like a club DJ did the final mix since it's segues from cut to cut so perfectly). Whether you prefer the sounds of birds and nature or prefer your music "au natural," you now have no excuse not to latch onto this album. If you enjoy synths, beats, and think music should occasionally be about raising one's blood pressure (agreeably, of course) and moving one's ass (even if it's glued to a car seat), then what the hell ya waitin' for? Transicity is the bomb - in either version!
This album is one of the most unexpected pleasures I've ever encountered in over four years of reviewing music. The only other CD I had heard from Simon Williams is the superlative melancholic ambient release, Gentle Rainstorm. That disc has become one of my favorites for relaxation and late night listening. When I heard Simon was releasing a beat-driven electronica recording, I assumed it would be a mild low-key affair. Well, just goes to show that I don't know shit sometimes! First off, let me start by stating that Transicity is a unique recording because it's being offered in two different versions. The version I have is a blend of nature sounds (subtle and only occasional) with state of the art electronica of assorted genres. The other version strips away the nature sounds and leaves just the lush synths, electronic rhythms, and sweet beat-based bliss. Either way, though, this recording is a stunner. I liked it right away. However, the true revelation came when I had to pick up my friend Ellen's dog. Shadow, at a kennel outside the city several weeks ago. Ellen has a killer CD player in her Saturn (which I borrowed for the trip) and I brought Transicity along for the ride. Boy, was I ever glad I did. I would never have guessed that Simon, of the ultra-relaxing Gentle Rainstorm, could also come up with an album tailor-made for highway cruising! Transicity is the BOMB for driving. Not too frenetic, but filled with an assortment of beats, rhythms, spacy synths, dance-floor hooks and grooves - oh hell, this is just one helluva album! If you don't like the nature sounds (although, some of them, such as the occasionally eagle cry, are pretty cool), order it "plain." While there are indexed tracks, with titles, the music plays continuously and this underscores the fluid nature of the electronic rhythms and keyboards. Transicity's strongest point is how Simon varies the beats and synths throughout the album yet unifies it all so cohesively. One way he does this is by allowing his synth piano to carry the refrains quite a bit (and catchy refrains they are, too). Starting things off with "The Dawning," the CD opens with subtle ambient washes of keys, (amidst some nature sounds on my version, of course, such as bird song and frogs); it's when the quasi-Berlin thumping beats emerge about a minute in that my brain hiccuped and I thought "What the hell?" This first cut is real Teutonic chromium cruising music. It segues into "Another Day" which introduces a more melodic beat-driven sensibility, using a combination of very electronic bloop/bleep synths and a gentle plucked string keyboard against a lush backdrop of washes and chords. This short piece flows into "Passage of Time," which ups the rhythm ante with snappy snare rhythms and that piano-led melody. This is when your right foot will press down on that accelerator, I betcha! The intermixing of the piano with the more electronica-based textures is something to hear at 60 mph on a good CD player! We've just begun to groove, though, as the next song ("Discoveries") dials up the energy another notch with laser-zaps of synths played against the lead piano and a rapid-fire high hat, before slowing down in a Jan Hammeresque-vein (circa Beyond the Mind's Eye soundtrack). This middle section of the CD maintains a nice even groove/rhythm, but it's just a prelude to later cuts. The same easy-going sense of melody emerges half-way through cut five, "Midday Sun," this time with the addition of a lovely synth-chorus. Kinda like Liquid Mind with a healthy dose of beats! A more funkified sense of rhythm comes into play on "The Lost Dream" with jazzy piano runs and heavy bass-bottom beats riding on top of the synth choruses and washes. By the end of the song, a very spacy bleeping/blooping thumpy synth line is leading the way into "Workforce," with a much more insistent rhythm and dance floor textures. The synth vocals are very pronounced on this cut and I enjoyed them. Part chorus and part female lead (all of it breathy and wordless), there is a slight undercurrent of sensuality and world-beat flavor, but it's subtle as all get out. Don't expect any faux Enigma touches here. The same wordless vocalizings are mixed with rapid-fire quasi-drum and bass beats on " Crying Rain." This is probably the weakest track on Transicity, but that's a relative statement. I'm never even remotely tempted to skip the track. The album finishes very strong with the eight-plus minute "Shadows at Dusk" and the almost-five minute "Night Skies," both of them true gems on an already very solid album. Instead of a subdued climax, Simon brings the techno beats out for the former song, again married to that melodic piano of his, with a brief respite in mid-song (on the nature-sound version, this is accompanied by the outbreak of a thunderstorm). The final cut is an ass-shakin' thumper of a song. Fast tempo beats, smooth washes of synths, and a melodic sensibility that is almost wondrous and elated made me want to hit the open road and never look back. When you hear the refrain in this cut, you'll know what I mean. I have not heard the altered (i.e. no nature sounds) version of Transicity, but I can tell you that if you love, or even just like, beat-driven electronica, I don't know how you will not fall in love with this recording. It's just so full of fun! I know that sounds trite and insipid, but damn if every single time I listened to this CD I didn't smile. If this puppy got any air play at all, it'd be a monster because it's gotta be one of the most likable CDs I've heard in years. So, whether you like hearing birds and other woodland sounds or just want to groove to the electronic rhythms, do yourself a favor and pick up on Transicity. Without a doubt, it warrants my highest recommendation.
Stretching out over more than sixty-minutes, Simon Williams' Gentle Rainstorm CD is one of the most calming yet reflective recordings I've heard in a while. Combining a Tim Story-like melancholy piano line with patient synths and synth choruses, the single song ("Gentle Rainstorm") unfolds so slowly that it would be difficult not to find oneself unwinding as the music plays out at its relaxed pace. What impressed me almost right away was the emotional neutrality (or even somberness, at times) of the music. This is not syrupy, sugary or overly "pretty." Instead, it is, at times, almost Zen-like in its feel (and subsequent effect). The accompanying sound effects are used with utmost discretion and are comprised of falling rain and occasional thunder. Simon exercises remarkable restraint with his piano playing, never veering into quasi-Lanz territory, so that the music maintains an ambient sensibility throughout. But, there is also a warmth present in the music, even when it (the music) is reflective and moody, that makes this CD a natural for late night listening or as accompaniment to contemplation. The music itself evolves quite a bit as the album progresses. Synth strings are emphasized, then subside. The piano varies from being quite minimal (even disappearing for stretches) and then carrying the melody in the forefront. A synth oboe/recorder occasionally weaves a gentle and sad melody line over the soft keyboards. All these distinct textures and "movements" makes Gentle Rainstorm a constantly interesting (and even more enjoyable) recording in which to immerse oneself. Ambient music fans who sometimes wish for something a little friendlier than standard noir (dark) recordings will, I think, enjoy the relatively unstructured feel of this album, as well as its lack of phony sentimentality (at times, such as when the piano is under-emphasized, this is closer to space music or ambient artists like Jon Mark or Mike Simmons). Albums like Gentle Rainstorm are a mainstay of my weekly listening agenda. In particular, Simon's ability to create relaxing yet never "sweet" soundscapes makes this a CD that will seldom (if ever) be "shelved" and will likely be left out on the CD player for those times when stress and mental "wear-and-tear" require a thorough cleansing of my psyche. For just such a purpose, Gentle Rainstorm is a revelation. Peaceful yet laced throughout with a sense of beautiful melancholy, this is indeed music for quiet times. Highly recommended! |