From start to finish, I was captivated by this album. The quality of the musicians, the standard of the playing, but most of all, the shimmering and hypnotic qualities of the music itself.
This new project is led by David Joseph and features members of Talk Talk, Mark Hall and a host of featured artists including ex-members of Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Bowie, Blur and Eric Bibb. The whole project is designed to be climate positive with a tree being planted for every copy sold.
The album is entirely instrumental and the tune titles almost suggest a perfect Earth without Human interference (entirely suitable for Earth-Day, its release date).
I found that listening to the album as background, created an almost ambient sense of calm around me but when I listened at higher volume and really concentrated on the music, it is complex and emotional, full of beauty and carries real meaning.
Most of the music is improvisational, with David Joseph laying down rhythms and asking invited musicians to create something over his basis and, for the most part, it works very well. The musicians are capable enough to come up with the goods and it adds to the single writer principle as every track develops in its own way and direction.
I recommend listening to the album as a whole rather than picking individual tracks but every track is able to stand alone and deliver some musical joy.
Overall, a superb album, sitting on the borders between Prog and ambient but often blurring the lines so that it is properly individual.
