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IN THE WAKE OF THE WIND
I don't know if you are like me, but I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time in record shops - my ability to browse has become an art-form. Now either this is a reflection of how sad my life is, or it
shows how intent I am on broadening my listening tastes... but I do seem to find gems that other people ignore. My favourite part of the browsing process is scouring the "reduced " or
"sale" bins and, I promise you, this can be a very rewarding experience.
Imagine the scene, I am midway through the sale box and so far all I have found is 38 copies of "Now that's what I call Musak" and the odd Rick Astley album when I happen upon the David Arkenstone
album.
I should say that the first thing that caught my eye was the stunning artwork; the insert, when opened up, forms a map very much in the style of Olias of Sunhillow. I was hooked, so duly paid my money and took the item home and boy was I happy when I got round to hearing it.
'In The Wake of the Wind' is a very hard album to pigeonhole and, if you need a label to know whether you are going to enjoy something then I
am not going to be able to oblige - but I will try. David Arkenstone seems to create visual soundscapes; it's like a movie, but in sound only - make sense???? No, I guess not but, suffice to say, this is the kind of album you can put on of a Sunday morning, or late at night when the rigors of the day have left you weary, and your mind needs an escape. It is also an album that improves every time you hear it.
As far as I am aware David Arkenstrone is American and I fear that this album may not be easy to obtain but, I can assure you, if you see it you really should treat yourself - it's a peach.
Bryan 13/6/99
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CITIZEN OF TIME
I have previously eulogised about Mr Arkenstone but this time I will try and tell you more about the content of this album.
'Citizen Of Time' is a homage to some of the people that David Arkenstone admires, and he has created a series of vignettes which he dedicates to: L. Ron Hubbard, J.R.R. Tolkien and the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger, to name but a few. It is a very different album to 'In The Wake of the Wind' but, however much the style differs, he still manages to create an overall feel that you cannot fail to admire.
The album is broken roughly into four parts and our citizen travels around the world in 50 minutes.
In the first section he goes from 'The Top of the World' (Mt. Everest) to 'The Great Wall' where he stands in awe of the only man-made object visible from space and in 'Firestix' he meets with the ancients who tell him stories long since forgotten. The next section opens with our citizen exploring the area, with 'Out of the Forest and Into The Trees' and through the 'Malabar Caves', until finally he is reunited with the ancients in 'Voices Of Anasazi'. Following the advice of the ancients he makes his way onwards, to the third section, where he sees 'The Northern Lights' and hears the 'Rumours of Egypt' until, finally, his journey on earth comes to an end in the 'Spendor Of The Sun'. The album closes with the final exploration - that of space - with the track 'Explorers'. Our citizen boldly embraces the pioneering spirit that has helped him to make all the earthbound discoveries and he moves out into space - where the only boundaries are the limit of the imagination.
I have to say, I loved this album. Once again I do not know how easy it will be to find, but take a tip from the 'Citizen'... explore until you find what you are looking for.
Bryan 13/6/99
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