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The opening track of the CD eases you into the world of music you are about to encounter and gradually takes you into what this CD is about. Like the title suggests, it builds upon themes that are found within the CD while preparing the listener to enter the threshold of an exciting and exotic listening experience.
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This song has very much the flavor of a middle eastern dance. The opening melody provides the basic structure of the song and is what the rest of the song stems from. This song has a dark feel to it while staying very rhythmic and flowing. One could imagine a desert scene in a far off land when listening to this track.
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A slower somber track, "Orange", without the fast paced rhythms of the songs before, displays strong emotion using the dynamics of the guitar and moody progressions.
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The title captures the essence of this song. This song takes you on a journey from lighter sounding melodies to then much darker, all the while swimming on a bed of constant rhythmic flow. Just as you feel things are getting better, they turn dark again. One can feel captivated by the ever changing rhythms and moods that this piece has to offer while expressing the idea of "Struggle".
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The first of two solo pieces on the recording portrays a feeling of desolate emotion and emptiness. The phasing sound on the guitar heightens even more the effect of being alone. The placement of this track in the CD accomplishes what it sets out to do. which is to slow the mood down and contrast the fast paced rhythms that the listener has experienced so far on the CD.
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Unlike the other tracks on the recording, "Breathe" is not as much of a composition as it is a vehicle for rhythmic expression. This track is very meditative in nature from its repetitive ideas that are slightly altered
with contrasting sections. When listening to this track, the listener will get
lost in the aura of the ongoing rhythms and the constant pulse. The song
title comes from a form of meditation that is very much like the constant and
pulsating feel of this song.
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Winter is yet another track with a very much Middle Eastern flavor and feel to it. It evokes images of wintry travel in the form of a Middle Eastern dance. In some sections the faster lines add tension to the overall flow of the song and heighten the effect of the feeling it radiates.
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This song has less of the constant droning of chords as do the others, but instead creates a scene with different chord structures and forms to add tension in a different way. "August" paints a picture of a hot day in the months of summer and the heavy, straining feeling it evokes.
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The second solo piece of the CD, "Tears", uses sparse percussive accompaniment to tell a story of a melancholy mood. In this song, the drums act as the sound of rain gently falling to the earth as a scene of desperate emotions unfold. The classical style of a repetitive finger pattern with only the notes changing, not the rhythm, creates and relieves the tension that makes this piece express itself.
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The most Middle Eastern dance-like song on the CD, "India", is very straightforward in its expression of a scene in a far off land. When listening to this track, one is transformed to a place in the desert with flowing tents and a gentle breeze shifting the sands of a timeless place.
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"Rest" is a slower track that has a peaceful and hopeful sound. At times it starts to get a bit dark, but then comes back with a bright positive feeling. This song is the last of the written tracks on the CD which ends the work in a hopeful, relaxing mood.
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The three parts that make up "Spiral Universe": "Desperation", "Turmoil" and "Solace" are songs that were improvised by Steve Booke and David Penna. Each displays emotion and spontaneity in its rawest form. The three tracks each have their own life, but when listened to as a series, tell a story from the beginning of "Desperation" to the end of "Solace". This series of songs dramatically ends the work that is "Rare Earth".
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See above.
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See above.
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CD Information
