Customer Reviews

Myths & Legends (W/CD) (W/Dvd)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you are a fan of David's past recordings, you know already that you've been chartered across to all points of the globe and back again. If there were a CD that showcased all his musical attributes into one, this would most certainly be it. Just about every sound vacation that he's brought to life over the past twenty years is here and then some.

"Tree of Life" consists of an interesting blend of instruments in an Arabian setting - reminds me much of his one of his past cd's "Caravan of Light".You might think you're on a tropical island at the beginning, until the flutes and drums hit you.

"Legend of Bell Rock" has a very "Celtic Book of Days / Spirit of Ireland" feel to it. It starts off calm and vibrant, and then whisks you away into a celtic jig. Sounds a bit too similar and simple after a while, but definitely not a bad thing.

Back to the Middle East again with "Song of Sheherazade". This one starts off with a vocal solo that eventually makes you feel as though you are wandering an endless desert or Arabian marketplace. Add a little more ambience/trance and you've got a surprisingly catchy beat.

If you've listened to any of "Ah*Nee*Mah's" cd's (David and Diane Arkenstone), then you'll find "Daughter of the Sun" to be charting familiar territory. Authentic Native American chants in a toe-tapping setting with wood flutes and a rather interesting acoustic setting. This one begs to be played with the included ambience cd. What's really surprising about this track is near the end, it breaks out with an electric/rock guitar and multiple sets of instruments. It's quite a dramatic finish indeed and it works!

If you loved "Atlantis" (2004), you might very well enjoy "Oceanus" Although this one is far more `chill-out' than anything that was on that cd, you can't help but think of a tranquil waterscape where you are floating endlessly.

Fans of David's (2001) "Sketches From an American Journey" should enjoy the next track "Across the River" as it charts the main elements of that cd quite well. It's another style from David we've come to know and love.

"The Wolf's Head", starts of like something out of the Medieval Ages then accelerates into a very bouncy tune. If you enjoyed "Quest of the Dream Warrior / Celtic Book of Days", you'll get a nice wake up call here with this track. If you've suddenly got the urge to mount your stallion and take part in some dramatic quest after listening to this track, I won't shun you any =) Enjoy the dramatic finish as always.

"Temple of Isis" isn't yet just another Arabian tune, although one could see it that way immediately, but it goes back even further towards the time of the great Egyptians. Nothing too unpredictable here if you've listened to similar tracks like this before, but still another wonderful track as always.

Finishing of a cd after eight great tracks is never an easy task, you've got to put the finishing touches on the "journey" and leave the listener with a lasting impression. I actually can't recall too many moments in the past where David has had a track that resembled anything of Spanish nature. The Spanish guitar really highlights the track and then leads us into a heralding beat. Before you know it, "that sound" hits you like a ton of bricks and then marching drums! This track had a big role to fill and it does its job nicely.

As for the acoustic cd, I was able to listen to it on my computer alongside the regular cd (I'm sure you'll get a more rewarding system if you actually hook it up to two separate computers/sound systems and two sets of separate speakers as suggested), but I was able to pick up on some of the sound differences with my setup. It's a very interesting concept indeed and nothing that I've seen done before.

But you know, out of the entire package, I really, really, enjoy the DVD. Thanks to the power of computer animation, you will be able to experience, for the first time, a visionary journey in addition to the sounding of the tracks. I cannot emphasis how wonderful of an addition this is. It's like "watching" the music come to life, as corny as that may sound. With DVD-Audio sound, you'll be able to pick up the difference from standard CD-Audio, especially if you have a better sound system for your DVD Player. There are also interviews with David Arkenstone and director Johnny Wilson as stated in the item description. It's pretty fulfilling to be able to listen for a few minutes from one of the greatest American new age composers his personal thoughts of his own cd.

The final recommendation is this: Just get it! If you're a fan of David Arkenstone already, then you should have already made up your mind just by knowing who the composer of this cd was! When you know of his capabilities, then you know you can rarely ever be truly disappointed. For those who have never heard David's work, but love new age/world music, consider this to be a great introduction to the marveled musician. You'll get but a small taste of his creative spirit and then if you want even more of a particular "sub-genre", you can further divulge in the appropriate cd for that sub-genre. Considering the price tag often coincides with the price of regular cds, you're getting an unprecedented value here with the sweet extras.

David Arkenstone. Twenty years later, and he shows no signs of stopping his addictive musical infection, and I'm a listener who is not ashamed to admit that I'm glad I caught the strand of musical delight.

I am a big fan of David Arkenstone's music since first time I hear his state of the art Atlantis album. David Arkenstone is like a painter - he is using sound colors and textures to create images in music. With his music you can image far worlds you've never seen before.

On Myths & Legends, David Arkenstone also giving you a ticket to travel an actual visual world - with a bonus DVD contains high quality videos for all of the songs. Experiencing his deeply atmospheric music with 5.1 dolby digital audio definitely a unique event.

Also on audio part - there is an ambient CD. When you played it with main audio CD simultaneously it's creating even more deeper atmosphere (you will need separate music players and loudspeakers for it). Indeed it will let you in to the world of Myths & Legens.

I suggest this album to everyone. An old fan of David or new one - doesn't matter. It will be a unique audio-visual experience with every second of it.

This is one of the best Arkenstone albums ever, and the short films and music videos on the DVD present the stories and fantastic images his music has been conjuring for two decades now, each very elaborately and professionally done. Each song is better that the last, and the triumphant closer "El Dorado" will transport you.

I love David Arkenstones work. He creates music that makes you feel like you're in a different world. In this particular CD the only thing I would have wished different is to remove the small amount of narration. I couldn't understand what he was saying, so it was a bit distracting. Otherwise it's great right-brain music. You easily lose yourself in it.

As a fan of David Arkenstone's, I look forward to every new venture. There have been a few klunkers in his past, but this isn't one of them.

This is typical Arkenstone, admittedly, and he uses a lot of familiar riffs and themes, but I got from it what I wanted; a good, solid musical sojourn, something to inspire me as I write. Although in a previous work, "Atlantis", he held to a common enough line that you could easily envision Atlantis in its entirety, "Myths" skips around; it's a march by ancient soldiers through the mountains; it's a swashbuckling pirate battle on the high seas; it's a tucked-away corner of a castle, with a courtier fingering a lute.

Mr Arkenstone's music lends itself to tone (and tune) poems, freeing the imaginative mind to flights of fantasy that nobody else, currently, seems capable of. His music is the perfect foil for a bad day at work; as I've said, I use it a lot to write by, but it's pretty good as just something to ease off the pressures of everyday living. And "Myths" delivers. I'm glad I added it to my library.

This album is not universally five star because it comes in two CD's, which you are supposed to put on two different stereos to get amazing surround sound. This would open up a huge realm of possibilities; you could make the main track louder or the backing track, according to your taste, fiddle with the tone, etc. Unfortunately very, very few (including me) are going to do this.

But when I put both tracks together on Garageband and re-imported them I was really floored by the lush sounds Arkenstone has created. I would recommend this album very highly to anyone who cares to enter the mythic realm in his or her listening.

When I reviewed the samples of the music, it indicated there were 24 songs on the CD. When I received to 2 CD set there were 9 songs listed on the jacket. When I look at the instructions it said I had to use 2 different CD players and sync the tracks together. I was interested in the music that David Ankenstone wrote. I did NOT want to go through the process of connecting 2 different CD players. This information was NOT included in the discription of this CD. The sampler misleads you in believing there are 24 songs on the album. When I went to return the CD I was informed it would cost me approximately $10.00 because I opened the CD. I was truly disspointed.

Myths and Legends

David Arkenstone | Format: Audio CD

It takes some work to get the sound synchronized perfectly for the two disks. I eventually ripped both discs to my computer and mixed them together into a DTS CD. After that it was a matter of putting that into my DVD player and enjoying it easily through my surround sound system (as a bonus, I was able to put both discs together in stereo for my mp3 player).

A unique album and a great presentation. The bonus DVD is also very nice.

I must say, this is an ambitious album: three discs: two audio track CDs to be played at the same time, and a DVD. The first audio disc has the essential music, and the second audio CD contains the ambient, supportive tracks and sound effects, including narration, especially on the Legend of Bell Rock, and The Wolf's Head: this "backup" CD is quite satisfying listening in its own right, and makes very nice background "white noise" if you want that sort of thing as you work.

The two discs work like this: you listen to both at the same time on two separate sound systems, e.g. two computers, or your stereo and a hand-held CD player or boombox. Or, you can listen to the second audio disc and watch the DVD, which duplicates the essential music on audio disc one, and listen to audio disc two at the same time on your other playback system.

It would be hard to pick a favorite track! Each seems to me, like a David Arkenstone "Delight". He seems to have surpassed himself. It appears that he might have gone into a "funk" in 2004 -- perhaps the divorce, other related real life crises, I don't know -- but he certainly has boomed back bigger than ever with this album. It is already my favorite, even passing the compilation album, "Eternal Champion" (although that will hold a special place in my musical soul; I have too many memories of my own life tied up in it).

The DVD is typical of efforts in that direction: some nice photography (of scenery in Zion, Yosemite and other national parks), some CGI of accessible quality, and some music video-quality acting, by David, his sons and friends. Being a reenactor myself, I would have enjoyed "The Wolf's Head" better if the Sheriff's men had been wearing real mail instead of costume "armor". But hey, this is for the music, the DVD is just extra. This album is discounted, so that's three discs for the price of one, you can't go wrong with that and David Arkenstone at the same time.

Glad I bought this used. The 3 disc set sounds nice but not really necessary. Disc 1 is music only. Disc 2 requires a second CD player and speaker, like a boom box. I don't know about other people, but I'm not inclined to go to the trouble to even listen to the second disc. Disc 3 is a DVD with nothing really genuinely worth watching.

The music has a few Arkenstone moments but nothing that we've not heard before; and, frankly I'm getting tired of the Celtic pieces - Arkenstone is much more creative than that.