Customer Reviews

Abonecronedrone

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Beautiful! (see other reviews), but beyond that Sheila is actually unveiling and laying bare the hidden structure of music. First she sings a melody, then the melody is echoed by emphasizing the various overtones of the fundamental droning frequency. Bypass those complex models of music theories, scales, melodies, and instead hear them! It's not just a drone, the harmonic filtering on the drones magnifies the hidden melodies and harmonies that already exist everywhere in nature. You have to listen to this in a quiet environment on good equipment, and focus on the sounds of the drones and how the harmonics change over time (to echo Sheila's vocal melodies) to understand this album. The reviewer who gave it 1 star must have listened to this casualy, on junk equipment, while driving and not heard the almost subliminal (if your not listening for them) melodies in the drones. This isn't world-pop with simple melodies, and it's not just another music CD. It's a form of acoustic art that transcends music, and shows the beauty of the harmonic structure found in all of nature. Before long you'll be hearing melodies in the drones of florescent lights, electrical transformers, engines, your refridgerator, or your heating system.

Normally, words like "ambient" send me fleeing to the hills in search of real music. But if you've tried some of Chandra's other experimental work (like some of "Quiet" or "This Sentence is True") and liked them, you should DEFINITELY get this one - it's probably the best of the lot. Why? It's so hard to verbalize - which fits right in with the artist's intentions, which seem to be to let you in on the raw, unanalyzed creative process. Really, this sort of thing really doesn't sound like it would appeal to me, but it's truly intoxicating listening.

However, if her previous RealWorld discs stretch your patience at times, then don't go near this disk. If you aren't willing to let yourself simply become immersed in the textures for "uneventful" minutes on end, you won't last it through this disk.

Now, could someone actually explain to me why other "ambient" music leaves me utterly cold?

This album is really great. If you really like getting lost in mystical, unobtrusive music, this is for you. The 6 drones feature little in the way of vocals, making Sheila's beautiful voice all the more welcome; she sparingly dashes each track with her ethereal presence, and underneath it all is a layer of Indian influenced ambience. Most of the tracks are 7-minutes or more, but they really don't feel long enough. There is no real way for me to express it, but the closest I can come is to say that its like taking a spiritual journey into her enlightened soul, and being embraced by light in the solitude of a dark spring night.
Tracks 2 and 4 are especially stunning. Recommended strongly.

Chandra departs from her usual style to explore the possibilities inherent in chants and drones. Sounds boring? Far from it. In fact, this music is exciting and invigorating, using long single notes to build a very slow tension which her strong voice then releases equally slowly. Six excellent long tracks make this album a must for fans of world music or ambient, or anyone interested in a unique listening experience.

I have several of Sheila Chandra's albums but ABoneCroneDrone is the one I play most often. Few can truly apreciate the power of droning. If you enjoy the chanting of Tibeten Monks or, especially, the drones of the Australian didjeridu, you will love this album. Ms. Chandra's voice is pure magic.

As a longtime Chandra fan, I find it very gratifying to watch her music and style mature and explore different directions. This album is yet another fascinating, very pleasurable exploration. The drone structure and harmonics remind me of David Hykes and the Harmonic Choir -- especially their Hearing Solar Winds album (their first and best). If you fall under the spell of Chandra's ABoneCroneDrone, you will also be mesmerized and transported by Hearing Solar Winds (and vice versa).

I found this CD to be extraordinary. Ambient, which I love, tranquilizing, which I need. Buy it and you won't be sorry. All her works are wonderful, but this one is something else.

In ancient India, yogis would spend years in silence and meditation slowly progressing through higher stages until they finally encountered divine sounds streaming down from the sahasrara (the subtle center of conciousness at the crown of the head). These are the spanda vibrations also called the unstruck sound. Now you can hear these divine sounds--even if you don't like to meditate. Just order Sheila's CD. Gauranteed.

I am one of those people who has a hard time with meditation because my mind is never quiet. This CD changed that. The first time I heard this CD was at a day care, where they used it to help the toddlers fall asleep. I sat down with the children to assist, and I literally went into a trance. Not like this crazy cosmic thing, but I was just focused on the music, and nothing else. It is so hypnotising that you can't help it. I've never heard anything like it and it is hard to explain. It is like you sink into the music and everything else just floats away. I don't know how she does it, but if you are looking for a meditative aid, this is perfect.

I teach belly dance three times a week, and more often than not, I choose this CD to warm up the class. The music helps me to relax the class for maximum stretching, and allows the students to focus on releasing tension and any other 'bad energy' so that they are in tune to the dance. An excellent CD. Track 3 is my favorite.