Smoke & Mirrors - The Perfume of Creosote: Desert Exotica Part 1 CD [PINNA01] $9.00
(IN STOCK)
Label: Aural Fixation Notify Me (What is this?)
Although each track on "The Perfume of Creosote" stands on its own, this body of work is intricately crafted to take the listener on a daylong sojourn through the desert from emboldened sunrise (Surya, The Divine Sun) to the dreamlike, UFO-infused sunset (As Heaven Falls from the Sky). With repeated listenings, the journey becomes more joyful and compelling. These unique electronic soundscapes contain elements of ambience, world music, alternative rock, lounge music, music for film, and hints of psychedelia and jazz. From the lush and romantic Inside Saguaros to the beautiful and ambient Mirage, from the wild, uptempo, When The Devil Was A Little Boy to the beautiful and haunting Tarantulas you?ll hear underlying shades of exotica inspired by such artists as Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman, and Les Baxter. Instead of the tropical flavor favored by those artists, each piece is inspired by the desert--the lush Sonoran desert in particular--capturing the exotic essence of the creatures, fauna and climate. Smoke & Mirrors is Michael Ely and Spider Taylor, who have been collaborators since the earliest days of L.A.'s underground alternative rock scene. Now living in Tucson, Arizona, far removed from their wild and bohemian past, Michael and Spider have shifted gears and begun exploring new territory within the electronica genre, utilizing their innate talents for breaking new ground and pushing the envelope to create this fresh and exciting collection of work. Read reviews here. NEW! 60-day money-back guarantee! We're so confident you will like this CD that we are offering a money-back guarantee, subject to the following conditions: - You must listen to as much of the CD as possible to see if the music appeals to you before buying. MP3s are available here. If you do not have broadband, try listening at work! If you are unable to do that, we're not going to insist that you take the time to download all the tracks, but please try one.
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Customer Reviews:
On 2008-03-05 21:01:13, 'Claudia Miles' gave the following review:
The Perfume of Creosote graces us with its magical, aural spell, wrapping us, if you will, vivid and pungent blanket of sound. Not unlike the creosote itself, the album is as spell-binding as its pleasures are long-lived. In fact, one of the lesser known facts about these plants is that they may take as long as 120 years to grow a single inch, and have been known to live as long as 11,000 years.
The creosote is everywhere, and its musky, clean scent, and its familiarity causes us to take the bush for granted, rather than be grateful for its pervasive presence. Interestingly, no matter what we do, these plants are so hearty, they will face up to any challenge. (If you're going to live 11000 years, you can't let folks push you around!)
The parallel, perhaps, is the tenacity with which Michael and Spider put all of themselves, their hearts, their souls, into their music- The rest was left so they might keep on "keepin' on." Which they have. And they ARE.
As much as I'd like to describe the music, nothing I can say does it justice. Certainly it is filled with a multitude of sounds and tempos and non-uniform compositions, and yet it all clearly goes together. Describing it would be akin to describing an orange to a person with no taste buds. Or to anyone really. Liking it is a matter of personal choice.
Of course, Michael and Spider's music is to the ears and the soul, every bit as juicy, nourishing, sweet and tangy as an orange might be. It is as lovely as that funny time just before dusk when the sun slips into your eyes... It is as filling as a five-course meal, but not so heavy that you are stuffed.
If you love it one 10th as much as I do, it will be on your shelf by week's end. And it will add richness and beauty, wonderment and transcendence. Don't you deserve some of that?
On 2004-09-22 00:00:00, 'Dave, Owner' gave the following review:
Hurrah! A concept album. "The Perfume of Creosote" is a journey, taking the listener on a daylong sojourn through the desert from emboldened sunrise (Surya, The Divine Sun) to the dreamlike, UFO-infused night sky (As Heaven Falls from the Sky). So far, so hippy. But pay attention at the back, for this is absolutely compelling. From the opening "Surya, The Divine Sun" (named after the Hindu sun god) through the astonishing "Mirage" (which remarkably sounds like one, which makes no sense until you listen to it) to "Riparian Oasis" with its beautiful guitar solo to the all too brief (but enthralling) "Dance of the Scorpions", this is an outstanding release. Taking aspects of ambience, world music, psychedelia and jazz, the artists concerned, Michael Ely and Spider Taylor, have produced a lush and exotic beast of an album, inspiring in its beauty and wonder. There are twenty three stages to their journey, all of which combine to produce an elongated yet enigmatic and melodic eighty minutes masterpiece. Particularly noteworthy are the percussive elements, which fuse everything together, giving you something to hold on to, as the desert heat takes its toll. Look to "Adventures Of A Packrat" for a perfect example of the fusing together of disparate sounds. Space rock aficionados will find much to love here, especially towards the latter stages of the journey, culminating in the resplendent "As Heaven Falls From The Sky". It could have been a bit of a mess, what with tribal percussion, prog rock guitars, trip-hop beats an ambient soundscapes, but you'll be hard pushed to find a better fusion experiment
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