Colleen - The Golden Morning Breaks [Leaf - 2005]Once upon a time say 25 years ago or so, I would listen transfixed to my Mother or father reading me a bedtime story. Then I’d drift off to sleep my thoughts full of daring princes, dragons and bean stalks. The Golden Morning breaks seems to have encapsulated that feeling of fairy tale wonder perfectly .Every time I play it, it drags me into the past and doesn’t release me until it’s last sweet bars. The whole thing is put together, to give it an out of time feeling. From the wonderful delicate melodies to the use of instrumentation, a 19th Century Glass Harmonicon, Glass Glockenspiel, acoustic Guitars and other stringed instruments . Also some electronics, but they never take over.The whole album feels very earthy, you can almost taste the breeze through the trees, on a summer’s night. Like all great ambient music it’s as much about the texture of the sound, as it is about the melody it drifts in. I’ll read you a story takes you on a wonderful enchanting journey across a placid sea, acoustic guitar expanse, rippled with music box ambience . Like the best ambient music it sucks you in, revealing more secrets each time you listen, like a Continuingly opening flower. The title track embraces both wonder and loss- painted beautifully with what sounds like a harp and other enchantingly picked string instruments. The tone and texture of it all is quite breathtaking. I can only really think of one other modern album that has a timeless, child like quality to it and that would be Mum’s excellent Finally we are no one. So if you fancy a trip off to a wonderful place just over the rainbow, I highly recommend you pick up The golden morning breaks. Roger Batty
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