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Synth Music
Direct
(UK)
What we have here is a retrospective
compilation of tracks recorded between 1984 to 1989, taken from what l
would assume to be original multi-track tape recordings, (as with another
FS release 'Imagination-Pictures-Music' from roughly the same era). That
being the case, the tracks have been cleaned up very well indeed for the
CD's production. The collection comprises a number of early versions of
tracks which have since appeared on later albums, so this should be
somewhat of a curio for some of you synth music fans out there!
Proceedings get under way with 'Spherical Dream 1984' sounding very much
like TD's 'White Eagle' given the sequencing and voicings chosen, before
veering off into anthemic mode delivering the sort of energy and mood of
Shreeve's classic 'Assassin'. A very impressive introduction.
Think TD's Melrose album with 'Voyager 2', the sound palette and phrasing
used are identical to those used on 'Three Bikes in the Sky',( which
raises a certain point of contention given that Melrose wouldn't actually
start being recorded for at least another six months!!). Maybe this
compilation was completed in 90'/91', not 89'? Not a bad little track
though.
'In My Head' features on their other compilation under the title, 'In your
Head'. At just four minutes duration I guess it's a track that they really
had to work at, featuring some seriously convincing Froesian guitar plank
spanking. 'Funky Trailer' is pretty self explanatory. It does sound like
TV trailer music, time to move swiftly on.
Play me the next three short tracks,
'Luna III', 'Streaming' and 'Autumn Leaves' and l'd swear l was listening
to the early cassette releases of Ash Prema! Intentional or not, the
likeness is uncanny. Maybe it's just the same sort of synths being used,
(and also given the fact that this music and Ash's work would have been
recorded in the late eighties at about the same time) but the way in which
it's played…
'Random Stars' is next on the playlist and again l'm gonna name-drop as
this one sounds like a clone of early 'Vietgrove'. Maybe it's the digital
synth's being used, but the real joy in this three minuter comes at the
end when all of a sudden we get a slice of music that really could have
come straight off TD's 'Heartbreakers' soundtrack, ending way, way too
soon.
'Green Monday', and we're back in Vietgrove mode again with a hint of
'Cloudburst Flight' thrown in for good measure given the way that things
are being played. 'Catch the Clouds' is the last four minuter of the ten
uptempo studio pieces presented here.
Foreign Spaces on this CD display a chameleon like talent for sounding
like other artistes named both sonically and stylistically. If this is
intentional it is done so very well and l applaud that, however l think
that the truth is perhaps a little more down to earth in that they just so
happened to be in the process of searching for a sound of their own just
stumbling across these similarities capitalising on them.
Putting the music into context with the time that it was recorded and the
technical limitations of what could be achieved in a project studio two
decades ago l think its fair to say the FS come out smiling. Here is an
album of both variety and creativity. Well worth looking into. (B22)
Dave Law, 2003
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