Customer Reviews

Beguiled

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Earlier Story, but no less intoxicating than albums like the perfect "Perfect Flaw". Slow, somewhat melancholy, entrancing. One of the best albums from Hearts of Space at the turn of the 1990's. Far and away. Favorite tracks include 'Her Cathedral' and 'These Few Words'. My wife and I have enjoyed this disc for many years. It's perfect for cloudy, cold mornings, when the mist is drifting and you're tucked away indoors, a cup of something hot in your hand and your eyes gazing out into the chilled, gray wilderness.

Story's music might be more accurately described as psychological chamber music. It is intricately composed, well-thought-out, essentially indifferent as to how it might be perceived by the listener. It is music that speaks with a voice all its own: fragile and yet profound. It doesn't care what you may think of it. It exists in its own very personal and intimate space, and it invites you into that space to share in its mystery.

Every piece on this album is a finely chiselled work of art. The last two pieces, "Many Years Pass," and "The Luminous, The Dark", taken together form one of the most beautiful sequences of music that I've ever heard. The music ends by converging towards a gentle electronic pulse, and then returning into the silence and mystery from which it came, leaving the listener beguiled.

What can I say that the others haven't said already? Tim Story's music is beautiful, deep and touches the soul. I like every CD of Tim Story. Beguiled is one of his best. The songs that include cello by Martha Reikow are especially good. These songs age well too. I seem to hear them in a different way at every listening. I bought Beguiled in 1992, heard it a couple of times, put it on the shelf and forgot about it. When I got around to listening to it again in about 1998 it sounded so good I listened to over and over again. You have to have an appreciation for this type of music. My musical interests cover a wide scope. If you're stuck on a certain kind of other music you probably can't appreciate this. But anyone who is not stuck on hearing a certain kind of music all the time (tunnel hearing) can grow to appreciate the splendidness of Beguiled.

Tim Story is one of my favorite artists and Beguiled is his most highly regarded work (with The Perfect Flaw just a notch behind). Adroitly combining piano with synthesizer and sparse acoustic instrument accompaniment, Tim has created one of the most heart-rendingly beautiful and saddest albums you'll ever hear.

Tim works in a type of music referred to as minimalism in which a musical phrase is repeated over and over, with subtle yet obvious variations in how the theme is played. The music is never repetitive due to his incredible command of subtle nuance and texture (especially with his use of synthesizers). The songs are not rhythmic in the traditional sense, yet they aren't unstructured, obviously. What I mean is that there are no percussion instruments on the album (the album featues piano, synths, guitar - heavily altered to sound more like a synth - and a few other instruments).

Tim refers to his music as being emotionally ambiguous, i.e. you bring your own emotions to the party, but his heavy use of minor key compositions and melancholic melody would indicate that, at the least, this is music designed to evoke deep (and often painful) memories. Yet, the music is so beautiful that it can also be used as ambient music during late nights. I and my partner Kathryn frequently play Tim's music when we talk late into the early morning hours. It's wonderful accompaniment for soul-searching.

Tim Story is the best artist in this field when it comes to producing works of quiet, tragic beauty. Beguiled easily earns its reputation as a masterpiece and an essential recording. Buy it - you won't be sorry.

Tim Story is at his best in Beguiled - a clarity of sound and sincerity opens up the world of the emotions, and memories of both strength and delicacy float over the top, flood into a foundational underpinning, and weave heartstrings through the middle. Extraordinary revelations unfold with repeated listenings. Your mind will journey out into space and right back to the center of your own heart. One of my very favorite albums.

I ordered this cd as a result of hearing only one of the songs on the radio one day. Even my husband enjoys the music...we like to play it while we eat dinner. I have to say that the one song that continues to be my favorite is the one I heard that day. Not all of them touch me in that same way, but they are all very good and I can highly recommend this cd to anyone that likes quality quiet music with just the right touch of melancholy.

Tim Story's Beguiled has an enchanting simplicity that belies its underlying complexity. It is both pleasing in a quiet calming meandering sort of way, yet with a haunting mood and subtle under-structure at the same time. Especially noteworthy are tracks 1, 2, 3, 8, 11, and 12. It is a worthy companion to his The Perfect Flaw. Beguiled is one of the best of the piano-based ambient offerings out there.

What a beautiful work! Beguiled is a real psychological journey of the soul! Sit down, lay back, and relax! the journey begins!

When I'm searching for music It would be nice to be able to purchase individual songs. Please talk to the New Age Artist and ask them why aren't they songs available I paid for the service to support them and now their music is not even available....I'm getting ripped off because I paid for a two year service membership and the artist are getting ripped off because I'm looking specifically for one type of music and that's (new age space) And i'm not even able to download the music THEY CREATED please come up with something to where when we want an individual song for the artist we can get it and they get a percentege because it is their CREATION