Customer Reviews

Elemental Chill 3: Air

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

 

 

this is just pure chill... and good at that. so many different flavors coming together in a mix that is seamless and in tune with the very sensual sound that results. many people prefer the uptempo vibe but this is chillout to recline to. get on the sofa, froth up the fireplace and get close to your special someone. this is the soundtrack for a winter's night.

I have all the Elemental Chills (except Water, which I intend to remedy!), and this is surely the most light and calm. It is perfect to listen to while you are working (I have an office job). "Air" flows along so seamlessly, it is like a gentle soundtrack to your day. With smooth transitions and such a mellow sound, this disc never interferes with a phone call or other multi-tasking project. In fact I find that this CD helps the time pass along as easily as the music does.

The Elemental Chill series got me started down the road of chill, ambient, atmospheric, lounge-out albums, and although I've found a lot of gems, I still have yet to discover anything that matches the quality of these four albums.

The Earth and Fire sets are my favorite (they duel it out for the number one spot, but that fluctuates depending on my mood), and the Water is a very close second. Air, true to its name, is the least substantial of these records, but that doesn't mean it's not worth getting.

Like the other three records, these songs are mixed so that they flow without pause into one another. Air starts slowly with Nor Elle's "Before You Leave," a song that fills your sails gradually before you disembark on a sunny, cloud-watching journey through the up-tempo waters of "Sky Colors." Those sky colors get darker as you pass through the next three tracks, though, so by the time you're wading through Billy Paul Williams's "Dreaming Out Loud," you may feel as if you really are in the murky, uncertain world of dreams.

The tempo picks back up through the next four slightly poppy, jazz-funk numbers ("Breakfast With Abductees" is a standout here), and then the record slows down again, drifting back down like a bird coasting for cooler waters. It achieves this mood slide with another dream-song, this one "Dream of a Place" by the aptly named Spooky Monkey (the song is certainly a little spooky).

This is where the album loses me. Suzy's "Where Are You?" has intrusive vocals that make the lounge vibe feel cheesy, and the next three songs, while decent, feel like dramatic yearnings, over-emotional pieces that dash the lounge mood with the aural equivalent of angst. The two closing pieces -- Royksopp's "So Easy" and "Slapping Detectives" by E.D. Swankz -- are a nice return to form, just as airy and up beat as the intro, and not without a flavorful dash of darkness.

I own the Air and the Earth Elemental Chill compilations and I will say that it is the best Chill collections that I have ever heard! Why? For one simple but fantastic reason, the songs blend into each other, which is very good for when you are dancing up a storm or creating a fire in the bedroom...no one to five second silences until the next song comes on. I love these CD's so much...soon I will have them all!!!!Yeay!

This is by far the Best of the Elemental Chill Seeries. As owner of all 4 of this series, AIR, is by far the best of the four in this series. I'm an avid owner of chill and lounge music and highly recommend this CD!!

I have the whole set of these CD's. Just the best music when it's time to unwind!