Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: delicate

  • Delicate Harmony

    Delicate Harmony

    Twenty-six minutes of absolute bliss are to be enjoyed with this delicate and very beautiful collection Delicate Harmony from Serbian guitarist Igor Lisul. A man, his guitar and the perfect moment to simply sit, to capture perfection.

    Inspired begins the enchantment with a beguiling piece that is pure, simple with each note forming, waiting gently to be captured on dainty wings to be carried into the ether of life.

    Birth of a New Day has a slightly ‘olde worlde’ feeling which has been captured by the higher finer, notes that are almost bright and shiny, heralding in a fresh morning filled with the bright sunlight and anticipation of what the day ahead may hold.

    Romantic and almost genteel, the simple notes of Dance with Snowflakes bring with it memories of fun in the snow, the awe of watching perfectly formed flakes drift soundlessly towards earth to cover all they come to gently rest upon, in pristine shades of white.

    Full of happiness and warmth A Gift for You is full of life and enjoyment which simply flows gently into shape, once again an enchanting piece that encourages a feeling of daydreaming and pure pleasure.

    The Song of a Sad Fairy is whimsical piece capturing that moment of sorrow, sadness and reflection which charms with an almost medieval ambience threaded throughout the unadorned notes.

    Delight and a wonderful sense of relaxation forms the final piece, Wings, on this gorgeous album of enchantment as you once again return gently from a blissful time of soothing daydreams wrapped in a Delicate Harmony.

     Lisul believes in creating from the heart, using all the many elements of love, beauty, friendship, and nature, basically anything that creates a feeling.  In Delicate Dreaming he has captured all of this within the delicate web of the music, each piece flowing effortlessly into the next with consummate ease.  He considers he is an Art musician; crafting imaginative and emotive pieces. One would have to agree.

  • Sacred Spaces

    Sacred Spaces

    Surreal electronic sounds greet the day as A Metaphysical Morning begins to unfold in a most enjoyable and easily acceptable style introducing Michael Whalen’s Sacred Spaces, a work released in March around the time the World was beginning to understand the terrible seriousness of Covid-19 or Corona Virus.

    Many people wished for something similar in real life to A Metaphysical Morning where they could escape the reality of what lay in store as the months unfolded. As this piece emerges it entices and temps, offering a small space in time to simply flow with the music, which then develops into a light, airy, somewhat elegant and enchanting morning emerging from the darkness of the night.

    Sacred Spaces follows, which proffers a change of tempo and vibration, wrapped in light and joy, which allows time and place to be created to simply enjoy the moment. Many daydreams are easily found within this piece, which as with all electronica will change with the emotions on each engagement with the music.

    1000 Paper Cranes is a most intriguing piece, which bring immediately to mind the wonderful and delicate craft of origami creating a myriad of beautiful, delicate paper cranes set in a minimalist panorama; a subtle chanting of monks can be  faintly observed in the sea of sound delicately washing around the cranes. This mystical and immensely soothing piece which has a somewhat tragic backstory based on the life of Sadako Sasaki, a survivor of the Hiroshima bombing, who, later diagnosed with Leukaemia, set a goal to create 1000 paper cranes in her lifetime.

    Each of the pieces on this sensual, delicate and a utterly fascinating musical immersion comes from more than ten years of Whalen creating various themes in a search for a higher power, a deeper meaning in his life, which possibly explains the almost velvety smoothness of each of the pieces, as they blend seamlessly into one, deep, relaxing and metaphysical journey. Smooth and full of richness, Sacred Spaces offers a residual sense of peace and harmony for the soul.

    This is so, until the final piece The After Life, a funky, catchy 4.40secs of upbeat music which opens doors to what may lay beyond what we think we know. Following the intro of almost a singular rhythm, a flourish of trumpets precedes a choral segment that leads to the supposition of the heavenly choir welcoming the traveller home. Gloriously vibrant it leads into a timeless element that soothes and relaxes, which certainly makes for an interesting concept on life’s final journey and destination.

    Sacred Spaces is the perfect panacea for those who love to escape through the medium of blissful, spiritual music or simply for those who need to relax, recharge and refresh. However long it has taken for this delicately beautiful work to emerge, through various incarnations, from perhaps classical to maybe new age to full on dainty electronica, Whalen has certainly crafted a collection perfect for the ages.

     

  • Sage

    Sage

    Once again Michelle Qureshi has produced a more than delicious album of peaceful, enjoyable guitar solo pieces to enchant and relax, possibly naming the album after the herb Sage, noted for its sweet and yet savory flavour, which could be likened to the subtleness of this series of compositions.

    Skipping Stones is a lovely introduction, light, airy, yet  embracing one of the many  the simple joys of life, that of skipping stones; a pastime without any real purpose and yet on that holds incredibly relaxing elements, as skill is pitted against wind and water to see who wins the contest.

    An intriguing piece, and the longest track on the album is Watercolours, which has an almost harp like quality to the sound throughout the song, which encourages a deep sense of peace as the beauty of the music unfolds.

    When We Look Away is a very measured piece, structured, melodic, although almost discordant; a reflective piece and when followed by Take the Flowers demonstrates the savory and sweet of the album. Take the Flowers is a joyful, happy little tune with a catchy element to it that seems somehow to contain a very big smile.

    Short, measured and utterly enchanting, Tender Side Of The Moon is a song which will encourage a moment in a day to simply be: nothing more, nothing less, just be…… Following on is the elegant Be With You, a song that that brings together very many connotations of love and tenderness.

    Messengers has a haunting, almost abstract sound which is entirely different to the balance of the album; crisp, clear, with an interesting depth added throughout. Short, and without fanfare, the beautiful work is complete, finished!

    Somewhat different to her previous works, Sage could be considered as Michelle Qureshi at play, sitting fingering her guitar to see what songs wish to emerge, to be born into melody, to enchant and captivate with their delicacy, composition and an inbuilt sense of lightness and joy.