Customer Reviews

Distant Memories & Dreams

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I just happened to catch my college radio station playing some tunes off this album and interviewing Michael the afternoon before his concert in the student union back in the mid-90s. One thing that really struck me was when one person called in to say that this music was so beautiful and relaxing that it made them fall asleep. I was thinking the same thing to myself, and Michael said on the air that he considered that comment high praise.

In concert, he's funny, personable, and engaging, though he professes to be very shy. He brings a wonderful multilayered music from one simple guitar, and when it's layered with a few other simple instruments - a chorus without words, a piano, a violin, or a cello, it's magic. This is one of my favorite CDs to fall asleep to, as the music is not only beautiful, but uplifting for the spirits, and can help bring me out of a funk.

It's definitely my favorite of the 3 I have (only missing Language of the Flame). Unspoken Intentions is an early work and it shares some of the same character, though it's not as mature as Distant Memories and Dreams. I like Dare of an Angel least, but I'd need to listen again to articulate why.

Check out his website at timbrelinemusic.com for more information, including tour dates (he often plays small colleges and clubs, especially in the midwest). If you like his music, you might also enjoy the music of Steve Tibbetts and Marc Anderson, two of his compatriot Minneapolis artists.

Michael Gulezian's unique guitar style, technically dazzling as it may be, is only a part of what makes this CD so memorable; it's his expressiveness that really stands out. The songs are, by turns, exuberant, pensive, haunting, joyful, meditative. I've had this disc for over a decade and the music still feels fresh and new to me. Whenever I'm choosing which CDs to take with me on a trip, this one always seems to end up in the final dozen.