Dene
Bebbington - Wind and Wire
Readers
of fantasy novels may have spotted from the title
that this album is inspired by the fantasy novel written
by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Apparently in the style
of one of his previous albums, Moonlore, Llewellyn
uses music to describe the journey of a young druid
woman into the "Otherworld" - in this respect
it's really a follow on to his last album Sacred Circles.
Helpfully, the CD liner notes include a brief description
of how each track relate to the druid woman's journey.
The album is nicely rounded off by the assistance
of other New World Music musicians and vocalists.
In
the first track, "Silver Moon Woods," we
hear echoes of a brief melody used at the start of
Scared Circles, this time played on piano and harp
instead of performed by vocals. It's a very nice opener,
a mid-tempo percussive rhythm plays in the background
as harp, piano, wordless vocals, and synth pads create
an atmosphere in tune (pardon the pun) with the fantasy
story.
A
track that I found really pleasing is "Through
the Mysts". Beginning with gentle synth effects
and the ubiquitous vocals it then bursts into a positive
rhythm that includes a modest drum beat. It's arguably
the most commercial sounding piece on the album, which
is a reason why Llewellyn is one of my favourite New
Age artists. Most of the music is easygoing, inhabiting
a pleasant space somewhere between laid back and mid-tempo.
This
is a Celtic story told musically and so there is a
Celtic feel to the music including flutes, whistles,
skin drums, and Uilleann pipes. Llewellyn keeps the
best melodic elements of romantic New Age music without
it becoming too twee or sugary - which is one of my
complaints about a lot of this kind of music. When
it comes to New Age music, Llewellyn is a class act,
and he doesn't disappoint in Mysts of Avalon which
is sure to be an essential album of 2004 for fans
of this genre.
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