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Binkelman's Corner by Bill Binkelman |
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Bill Binkelman is a long-time icon in the industry. |
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| A Gentle Rain of Starlight |
| By Geodesium |
| Label: Loch Ness Productions |
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| A Gentle Rain of Starlight tracks |
1. Winter Stars 
2. Star Hop
3. A Gentle Rain of Starlight
4. Star Show
5. Starfall
6. Celestial Solitude
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7. Outbound
8. The Alcor-Mizar Connection
9. Horsehead Hideaway
10. Adrift
11. Silver Lagoon
12. Starlight Lullaby
13. A Cosmic Kiss
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A Gentle Rain of Starlight |
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Mark Petersen (Geodesium) is one of those artists with an instantly recognizable "trademark" sound to his music, present since he first started releasing his music back in the mid '80s with West of the Galaxy (he had two releases prior to that but I've not heard them). Part of what separates Petersen (who composes his music for planetarium shows and then releases it on disc) from other spacemusic artists is how he apparently views space as a warm, inviting and friendly place, where any darkness and mystery are seldom foreboding or scary. I make this assumption because his music is filled with a flowing melodicism as well as a tangible sense of gentle awe and wonder. Another characteristic of his music is how he structures it, relying more on notes and refrains rather than on the more typical (for the genre) pads, washes and textures (although they are all here as well). He also sometimes throws in a more uptempo/upbeat song now and then, another anomaly for the genre.
A Gentle Rain Of Starlight's title should give you a good idea of what to expect: music which cruises gently through the cosmos at a leisurely pace, sometimes speeding up but never to the point of warp speed. The trip is suffused with a sense of peace and wonder, as if one were witness to the beauties of the universe soaring by a starship's viewport. As with previous Geodesium albums, the CD is technically excellent, from the quality of synthesizers and keyboards to the flawless production, mastering and engineering.
With thirteen tracks on the album, describing them all would take way too many words. Winter Stars starts the album off with twinkling echoed and panned bell tones, swirling celestial keyboards and some subdued bass rhythms underneath it all. The bell tones play a repeating refrain but in Petersen's capable hands, it never gets boring (this is also one of the artist's motifs, i.e. the use of refrains within songs, again atypical for the genre). Star Hop is a light-hearted romp through the blackness, with cascading keyboards set against softly sighing choral and ambient textures. Here, the rhythm is imparted solely through the refrain’s tempo, although the occasional synth bass note can be discerned. Opening with what could be the musical equivalent of the titular reference, the title track blends high-pitched tones with lush lower register pads and whistling keyboards. Celestial Solitude shimmers and glides with repeated reverberating notes and softly sighing chorals while Outbound bursts with subtle energy via synth arpeggios and wildly panned bell tones, evoking moving gracefully but at great speed. One of my favorite tracks on the CD is the seven-minute long The Alcor-Mizar Connection (which I’ll assume is an astronomical reference). It has an air of mystery to it with a slight "edginess" and I found the melodic refrain to be particularly pleasing to my ears and I enjoyed how the song evolved over its duration.
I'm loathe to mention this, but I'd wager those of you reading this review who think spacemusic needs to be more in an ambient or even dark ambient vein may consider Geodesium's music too "pretty" or "new agey" due to the types of keyboard sounds and the overall positivity of the music. Well, I won’t try to change your mind about that, since it's your call, obviously. However, if planetarium directors all over the world think Mark Petersen aptly evokes the cosmos in his music, the guy must be on to something. For me, A Gentle Rain Of Starlight continues Geodesium’s streak of "stellar" releases (sorry, I couldn't resist that). If you think it’s too pretty, go listen to Stalker or Where the Black Stars Hang. For me, Geodesium’s music reminds me why I fell in love with astronomy as kid, and for that sense of wonder and joy, I can’t thank Mark Petersen enough. Highly recommended.
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Rating: Very Good +  |
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- reviewed by Bill Binkelman on 11/25/2007 |
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