Customer Reviews

Euphoria

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It's about time a fresh sound came into the electronica section of the music stores. I have purchased several albums from the Ambient/Techno/Rave section at Sam the Record Man and I must say that this one stands out as one I had no trouble listening to right from the start. Other electronica stuff has beats and grooves that just don't fit sometimes (ie: Statik Sound System, brutal! ) but Euphoria was the first album I've bought in a while that I didn't have to skip tracks on. This is a definite must-have for those who are tired of the same old same-old. Great disc!

If you like Ry Cooder, Pink Floyd or the Orb your mind is going to be blown by this completely unique mix of guitars (mostly acoustic slide) and ambient electronica. REALLY well produced. There's even a guest appearance from Rush bassist Geddy Lee of all people. (Don't worry he doen't sing only plays bass). If Pink Floyd had any interest in keeping current and actually moving forward musically, this is the CD they might make.

"The album was originally intended as an exploration of dreams," says Ken Ramm, Toronto-based guitarist and the brains behind the Euphoria project. The subtle use of vocals - soulful voices drift in and out - does give Euphoria a hypnotic, trip-hop quality. But the signature sound of Euphoria is the slide guitar. Inspired by the way Pink Floyd used the slide guitar to create "a real expressive, emotional quality", Euphoria brings a uniquely guitar-driven twist to downtempo electronica.

Recorded in London, Ken Ramm plays many of the guitar parts himself but is joined by the legendary B.J. Cole on pedal steel guitars to add a more atmospheric, electric texture. Other musicians lending a hand include Anne Dudley of Art of Noise, ex-Soft Machine bassist Roy Babbington, and Rush bassist Geddy Lee. Live vocal contributions come from Maddie Willis and gospel singer Juliette Roberts (on the excellent "Lost on a River").

It is not all swirling guitar harmonies and layers of slide guitar though. Other instruments include the Arab ney flute, the Bulgarian kaval flute, harmonica and bagpipes. The intricate and richly textured songs dip into ambient groove, world music, trip hop, blues, psychedelic rock, drum & bass. This unlikely mix of styles and instruments work surprisingly well and results in a distinctive and memorable sound. A beautiful and inspirational CD.

Looking for the perfect CD to listen to while taking a short road trip? Well, this album comes close to being "THE ONE". I purchased this CD out of mere curiosity and I was delightfully surprised. The album is fulled with organic-like electronica and humbled by random guitar appearances. The song "Delerium" is the album's leadoff tune which is worthy of setting the tone for a relaxing drive. "Heaven" follows up by continuing the dizzying appeal of the album. Just when you think it's time to change the CD, "Wait for You" rushes in like a radiant woman who knows her worth. Wide open spaces and percussion combinations carry the weight of the album. I reccomend this album to anyone who likes to listen to electronic music but isn't in the mood for an ambush of sound. Listening to this disc will cleanse your ears as you ride off into the sunset...

I heard this album on the KCRW show. `Morning Becomes Eclectic', where the listeners of the station had voted it to #1. After purchasing the album, I decided to check out one of the re-mixes of "Delirium" by Fila Brazilia (this mix is not the single, by the way) on MP3.com.

While the re-mix on Mp3.com is fun in a light kind of way, it in no way compares to the depth and power of the version of "Delirium" that opens this album. This is an outstanding track with truly original instrumentation. The 12-string guitar and that U.K. Big Beat really reminded me of Michael Hedges and the Chemical Brothers rolled into one. "Guitronica" of the highest order.

The album then embarks on a tour-de force of songwriting weaving this kind of slide guitar meets beats and voice tapestry. "Sleep" with its' haunting slowed down voices and delta groove take slide guitar in a new direction, but manage to stop at Paris,Texas and Ry Cooder along the way. "Lost on a River" reminds me of that great Traffic, Dave Mason era. "Elevator To My Soul" is great soundtrack. The guitar looping is reminiscent of Robert Fripp in his "Frippertronics" period.Fripp was the original infinite guitarist but Euphoria manages to make it their own sound too. Vocalist Maddie Willis should be praised for her work on this album. It all closes with "The Road" with Ann Dudley and Geddy Lee.This track has a bit of the U2 thing going in it along with Arabic vocals and ...bagpipes! They pull it off in a big way.

Albums that can breath new life into a genre , or start one , are so, so, rare. Fans of the previous mentioned bands should listen up and check out a band with some serious writing chops. Pink Floyd should pick up a copy (not a stretch at all ) they might even learn something. Finally a guitar album that's a breath of fresh air. Buy this album... it is one of the best

Euphoria manages to be approachable at the same time as being avant garde, which is no small feat! The music is tranquil and refreshing, and while the genre is totally unidentifiable (another review referred to it as "guitronica"), listeners to pop, jazz, techno-trance, and country will all find something vaguely familiar in the tunes here. Think Enigma in a horrible transporter accident with David Lanz, George Harrison, and Union Station. What strikes this reviewer most is that some tracks are more jazzy, some more pop, and some more trance, yet the album stands as a cohesively unified whole.

Most of the tracks rely entirely on their instrumentation (which is quite well produced, balanced, and mixed by the able hands of Tom Elmhirst and Garry Hughes) but the occasional insertion of some beautiful female vocals from Maddie Willis, Julie Galiatsos, Juliet Roberts and Michaela Harrison adds to the euphonia of the experience. A number of subtle string arrangements are provided by Anne Dudley, who composed the soundtracks to "Buster," "Pushing Tin," and "The Full Monty."

Rush fans will be amused by the guest appearance of Geddy Lee (on keyboards and bass) on the final track ("The Road"). He also produced the second track, "Is This Heaven?," in his Toronto studio.

The busyness of some of the drum tracks may make "Delerium" unsuitable as background music for a dinner party (although, ironically, the current reviewer did decide to purchase it over a somewhat unorthodox Italian dinner), but for personal listening, meditation, and inspiration, it's difficult to beat sound like this.

Like many people in northern California, this reviewer has been hooked on the opening track of this album ever since the first time he heard it. But given the limited exposure it had on the radio, you're probably reading this because a friend mentioned it to you. Take your friend's advice, listen to the samples on a couple of the tracks here, and dive in to a pool of sound, crystal clear.

I am no critic, but I have to say I also bought this CD on a whim after hearing one song on the radio. This is the most interesting relaxing CD I have purchased in a long time and is one of my favorites.

As usual, the audio samples available on this site do the music no justice. This is extremely well produced electronic groove. It's reminiscent of early Pink Floyd, but far closer to the work of Morcheeba, Michael Brook, and the Golden Palominos. Take a chance and get it, you'll be glad you did.

After hearing the single, Delerium, at mp3.com I decided to pick up the whole CD. The CD is a disappointing attempt to meld various influences and only ends up sounding like so many "new age" albums: strangely soothing yet annoying. The comparisons to Pink Floyd are a HUGE stretch. The overly engineered reverbs and echoes become increasingly superfluous as the album wears on. The CD isn't terrible it's just that there's other CDs that are far superior. If you like the guitar-hypotic sound of this cd then try Michael Brook's Cobalt Blue (this is the man that invented the infinite guitar). If you like the more vocal/pop aspects then try Moorcheeba's Big Calm. If you like the more electronic side then there's Banco De Gaia. If you still want to try this CD then at least look for it in a used store first.

I bought this CD because I enjoyed listening to Delirium on WXPN in Philadelphia. That tune sounds to me like a combination of Moby and Afro Celt Sound System. But the rest is completely different and a far weaker match to my taste. The only other track I like is the last one, The Road. Maybe it's the vocals in the other tracks that turn me off.