Imperial

Robin Guthrie | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 15, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Bella Union
• ASIN: B00008LJGE
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #354,742 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The first instrumental album for Cocteau Twins/Violet Indiana mastermind & Bella Union label head. Ten tracks. Digipak. Bella Union. 2003.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Robin has taken the marrow out of bone exquisitely, May 20, 2003

By 

Peter M (Los Angeles, Ca USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Imperial (Audio CD)

I was one of the few people who didn't think highly of Robin's project, "Violet Indiana." I would have preferred a solo of him on guitar at the time of the first Violet release. Boy, did he ever deliver! Imperial is the album Robin should have released eons ago (no pun intended). The beginning track is pure classic Robin. Slow and breezy, it delves into deep atmospheric settings, and picks up with luscious guitar sounds aching to halcyon. Guitar sounds clash exquisitely into one another, merging and melting, forming a perfect blend of serenity and tranquility. Thank you Mr. Guthrie for not keeping these treasures all to yourself; your talents have spilled all over this perfect album.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars it's magically ethereal?!?, December 31, 2004

By 

E. F. Paredes "chai and a book" (California USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Imperial (Audio CD)

"Ethereal." Inevitably this description (or tag, if you will) would invade any dialogue concerning music like this. Yet Imperial avoids the curse that dooms many of Robin's contemporaries. This is not your average shimmering guitar solo work. It's a throwback to the Cocteau era, a Violet Indiana instrumental, a shoegazer tease.

The cd is thoughtfully produced, opening with the title track and that familiar guitar sound that Robin perfected and many admirers copied. There are surprises too - beats and keyboards thrown into the mix alongside artfully minimalistic melodies. Elemental, is a good example of this. Other standouts are Tera, Music for Labour, and Drift (previously available in Bella Union's first cd sampler).

Those of us fortunate enough to catch Robin on tour performing live to his film, Lumiere, got a taste of his skill at creating art through sound and light. Imperial gives its listeners that same experience.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars (Victorialand - Liz) x Eno = Imperial, November 15, 2004

By 

The Feefmeister (underwater) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Imperial (Audio CD)

Robin Guthrie's Imperial sounds to me like a rumination on solitude and loss, although I'm probably just projecting my own feelings as a Cocteau Twins fan who misses Elizabeth Fraser. The music here reminds me of Victorialand, only much slower and without the forward momentum that vocals would provide. In fact, parts of Imperial might not sound out of place on Brian Eno's atmospheric Apollo album. The introspective feel of Imperial makes it a tasteful alternative to both New Age- and electronica-derived forms of ambient music. As suggested by the title of track 7 (Music for Labour), this CD is good to listen to while working.