Customer Reviews

To the Shores of Heaven

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Jeff Pearce's "guitar only" brand of ambient music is always a delight to hear. One might expect that an artist whose forte is using various treatments of guitar to achieve an ambient sound would be inclined to showy "look what my guitar can do" displays, Gentle Giant-ish signature changes, and the other hallmarks of the guitarist-as-artiste. Pearce takes an altogether different tack. To the Shores of Heaven is an intelligent and very subtle collection of slowly unfolding melodic sound played in ambient format, never cloying, always interesting. There's no gimmickry here, just solid ambient sound. At British Columbia's Butchart Gardens, the flowers are not labeled by variety, because the planners wish one to experience the garden as a *garden*, and not as a collection of ideas. To the Shores of Heaven is similar--Pearce never makes you feel that you're listening to an ambient devotee's intellectual exchange on the state of ambient made with guitars; this is instead an integrated and altogether musical album, well worth owning. If you've always wanted to move your ambient taste past Music for Airports and the Budd/Eno collections, but never known where to begin, here's your answer. Begin here.

Existing adjectives fail to do justice to Jeff Pearce's latest release. Having said that, I'll give it a go. The body of Pearce's work to date consistently stands out in its ethereal beauty and emotional impact. To the Shores of Heaven is clearly his masterstroke. The opening track, "A Fading," goes straight for the heartstrings with Pearce's sublime guitar work. Electronic enhancement is (perhaps deceptively) feather-light. The pristine and languid acoustic melancholy of the instrument shines through. As "The Shores" progresses, Pearce exquisitely intertwines this lyrical quality with lushly layered soundscapes to create music that glistens with a haunting radiance. The "shores" aspect of the title comes into play (particularly on the fifth track) as the music gently hints at an aural seascape of the surf repetitively crashing against a sandy shore, with the faint call of gulls echoing overhead. In this reviewer's humble opinion, To The Shores of Heaven reaches its apex with track #7- "Veil of Lake Snow." The piece illustrates what sets Pearce apart from other ambient artists- that heavenly guitar work. Pensive, plaintive, and achingly poignant; space music with a soul...the quintessential Jeff. "Doubt on Dark waters" beguiles the listener, as a sensual, tribal beat percolates under a gossamer veil of soaring sustained chords. The effect is exotic and tantalizing. The title track provides a dramatic climax to the record. Overlapping crescendos of richly layered sound wash over the listener, enveloping all senses. Majestic and elegant, the piece is positively transcendent. As "Shores" comes to a conclusion with the wistful and introspective "Reunions," one thing becomes clear: With this release, Jeff Pearce deftly attains the moniker of "Space Musician." He sublimely sets the listener somewhere far above the stratosphere...perhaps, one might say, at the shores of heaven.

This CD is wonderfully musical, calming, and mesmerizing. If you like the guitar soundscapes of Robert Fripp or Terje Rypdal or the space synth of Steve Roach or Brian Eno, you'll probably enjoy this too.

The music is kind of an alpha-state generator, very soothing and peaceful. For me, listening to it invariably leaves me feeling better. It's the sort of musical experience that beckons you inside, both inside the music and inside yourself.

Best of all, the entire CD flows so well from one piece to another...so the journey continues throughout the entire disk. Hope you enjoy it as much as I still am.

 

I was about to write a review of the new Vidna Obmana (The Surreal Sanctuary) released on the same label, when Postman Pong popped his head through the window and said"More CD's for you, big fella.". As I'm in the mood to have a quick listen to hear how it measures up to a lot of other fine Hypnos releases, I find myself gob smacked by what I am hearing. Very few recordings make me put pen to paper almost immediately, as it does take time to almost develop a relationship with the music you are hearing for the first time. This is emotionally / spiritually charged guitartronics reminiscent of the works of someone like Robert Fripp, mixed in with the drone sensibilities of a Robert Rich. There's are wonderful celestial overtones, which take him up there into the stratos with the David Hykes' and Laaraji's of the world; Jeff Pearce choosing to explore the possibilities of being 'in the light' as opposed to the dark end of the ambient spectrum. It's basically guitars and treatments, the guitar processed and stretched into long sheets of sonic beauty, depth and power. The other aspect of this recording I really enjoy is the wonderful sense of warmth that emanates out of the recording. It makes a welcome change from some of the stuff I have been listening to as of late which though challenging and rewarding in ways, comes across as cold and alienating to the listener. Not the case here, thank goodness.These are soundscapes which are quite sensual in nature, atmospheres clouded in secrecy and memories. You want this to never end. Well I guess that's what the repeat function is for on the CD player. It would have worked just as well as one continuous piece, as all eleven tracks tend to merge effortlessly into one another. This is without doubt one of the finest release on Hypnos ever. Mike Griffin needs to be congratulated for having the vision and courage to release this and Jeff Pearce should be given an honorary seat in the ambient hall of fame. Writing and rewriting this review brings up two words time and time again; amazingly beautiful. That's a nice way of summing this up. Timeless stuff.

It's nice to see the confluence of praise for one of the finest musicians and nicest people in the music business coming from reviewers like Bill Beck and an Angel Of Venice, Carol Tatum. Jeff can bring together a crowd like no one else.

The music....Jeff has taken the concept behind Robert Fripp and Brian Eno's work on "No Pussyfooting" and "Evening Star" and extended and recrafted it, to the point where Jeff's sound is as distinctly recognizable as Coltrane's tenor or Joao Gilberto's soothing voice. Don't even bother trying to figure out how Jeff gets his "sound," since veteran guitarists are at a loss themselves.

Simply recline and enjoy Jeff's masterpiece. You may have heard excerpts on "Music From The Hearts Of Space" or "ECHOES," but I guarantee you will remember the first time you listened to "Shores" in its entirety.

With a musician of this caliber, the only logical question is: "What is that Jeff guy up to now?" Treasure this one.

Guitar soundscapes never imagined before, yet signature Jeff Pearce. Experiencing "To the Shores of Heaven" transcends mere aural gratification; affecting all senses. Contrasting images ranging from the deepest of meloncholy to celestial joy repeatedly overcome me each time I experience Pearce's "Shores." Pure shimmering beauty. Highly recommended.

This is Jeff's best album to date. Simply stated, you can't go wrong buying this wonderful CD.

What a pleasure to listen to. If you want floating guitar chords, echoing with transcendant melodies, and etherial harmonies,this is a great companion piece to the John Serrie genre of space music. Definitely worth a listen!

To the Shores of Heaven is the deepest and most bountiful of Jeff Pearce's CDs, IMO. After 100 listens I am still being transported further into new dreamily magical realms beyond imagination. The sojourn keeps on going in more and more directions while becoming increasingly beautiful and alive. This is my idea of the ultimate bedtime CD. I can hardly wait to see where the next listen takes me.