Mountain Mirrors

Mountain Mirrors (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 21, 2006)
• Original Release Date: April 21, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mountain Mirrors Records
• ASIN: B000FWH1EQ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #709,360 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review

A swirling, lysergic, acoustic, dark, treacherously beautiful hybrid of pop and instrument... --John Page, Stonerrock.com, April 21, 2006

Mountain Mirrors' sound really goes beyond description, and is just that excellent of a band. --Lunar Hypnosis, May 15, 2006

Excellent!! --Lord Litter, April 21, 2006

Product Description

Imagine Opeth, Nick Drake and Pink Floyd jamming acoustic dirges around a fire in the woods under a full moon, while the outside world blows itself to bits. Fireflies dance in a blackened breeze. Apparitions and lost souls revel in the sound. Mountain Mirrors is dark, kaleidoscopic acoustic music for poets, travelers and seekers.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heavy acoustic music from the woods of Massachusetts, July 16, 2006

By 

Murat Batmaz (Istanbul, Turkey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mountain Mirrors (Audio CD)

Mountain Mirrors is the second album by Jeffrey Sanders, but he also enlisted the help of several musicians for richer and more varied compositions. Mountain Mirrors is often described as "heavy acoustic music from the woods of Massachusetts", and after listening to this disc, you'll know why.

The slightly folky acoustic guitars, sweet drum cadences, subtle keyboard sounds, and most importantly Sanders' otherwordly vocals, when combined, do invite comparisons to names like Opeth, Nick Drake, Pink Floyd, and even Alice In Chains' unplugged material, but overall, the music presented on this disc is in a league all its own. Having never heard the first Mountain Mirrors disc, I have no idea how this one differs from it, but rest assured that the songwriting and musicianship is top-notch, with some of the most beautifully grey melodies you'll hear. "Stay Evil", a dark and punishing song, kicks the CD off, allowing haunting lyrics ("Burn - burn away the haze!") to ride over a forlorn acoustic melody that is eventually accentuated by the addition of keys, drums, and Drake-like melancholic vocals. In the second half, the song charts 70's prog territory, picking up synths and guitar solos. Much like the opening track, "The Demon's Eye" continues in a similar fashion, but the lyrics are even darker and more poetic. Elad Pish's trumpets and percussion work shine over sombre piano notes that contrast decidedly heavier guitar riffs. Cymbals crash vehemently in the background as Sanders utters the words: "On black wings flies...the Demon's Eye / Dancing on your grave / your soul can't be saved / you'll always be a slave..." before the band delves into an intense outro section, displaying first-rate instrumental ability.

Beneath "Karmic Dogs" is planted a demented electronic patch along with quirky echoic sounds generated through majestic keyboard playing and a nice cello motif is utilised at the end to give the song its deserved climactic ending. There is also more cello to hear on the extremely bleak "Calm Before the Storm", possibly Sanders evoking Drake like never before. Special mention also goes to "Your Time Has Come", a very Opethian number, given its Damnation-like opening where startling acoustic guitars are joined by ominous piano and even analog synths floating above the whole piece like a dark cloud. Even Sanders sounds like Mikael Akerfeldt on this piece.

Without doubt, the most personal song on the album must be the closing track "Praying Mantis", a piece Sanders wrote after the passing of his grandfather. All instrumental, this was the first song he wrote for this album, and it ends the record on a very sad yet slightly hopeful note.

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Tracklisting- Stay Evil . The Demon's Eye . Karmic Dogs . Your Time Has Come . Calm Before the Storm . Alone in a Crowd . Deploribus Unum . Praying Mantis

5.0 out of 5 stars great sophomore effort, October 3, 2008

By 

C. Harker (Darlington UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mountain Mirrors (Audio CD)

I'm not good with words and dont understand product description above - tho think the review from Turkey catches the essence of this superb album.

Dont let the chance to hear this 2nd album from Jeff Sanders pass you by - lossy version available free of charge from the website so what have you to lose ??