Sigh of Ages (Dig)

Steve Roach (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 13, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Projekt Records
• ASIN: B003NWS5MW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,430 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

One Thousand Pulses, Darren Bergstein:

Experience has demonstrated that often the best recordings fail to reveal their finest drops until repeat plays acclimate the ear. Roach's Sigh of Ages is one such recording, and, like many from his canon, it indeed draws you in after that first exposure but is devastatingly more effective once you've spun it thrice. Roach's uncanny gift for beauteous understatement never fails to amaze, and the six pieces here, many of which cross paths hitherto unexplored, represent collectively as fine a recording as he's done to date. A sense of time uninterrupted and ungatherable weaves a potent stream of melancholia throughout the album, no less so than during the edgy, spidery undulations that inform "Quelling Place", but it's during the softly burbling sequencers and oceanic swells of "The View From Here" that Roach's existential moorings become tangible as the piece hovers in a contemplative zone with no physical beginning, middle or end--it's subtle but powerful stuff. "Morning of Ages", however, is where the artist truly surprises on this go `round; Roach might well have titled this "Adagio for (Synth) Strings" as he channels Arvo Pärt and John Adams through the duration of the piece's shimmering, abject poetry. The final 26 minutes, comprising "Return of the Majestic" and "Longing to Be...", move, resonate and becalm in equal measure, Roach's sonic portraiture a simply dazzling collection of discrete analog brushstrokes and gently pulsing daubs of color. Perhaps it's premature to bandy about a word like "masterpiece", but history might well position Sigh of Ages as a distinct highpoint in Roach's vast oeuvre.

Product Description

Emotions quietly stir and resonate in this deeply self-reflective album exploring the terrain between melodic electronic/ambient and modern minimalism. These six pieces utilize gentle melody, harmony, and sonic tonality to poignantly reflect upon the passage of time, life lived, lives passed, and a time of renewal: a sigh of the ages expressed in sound. For this journey, Roach drew on his essential collection of beloved analog synthesizers including a classic 40-year-old Arp String Ensemble, a historic polyphonic synthesizer that swirls and rolls upon itself like the strong currents of a rushing mountain river. Sigh of Ages is the result of extended periods of solitude and personal reflection for the acclaimed composer. Sculpted and refined in his deft hands, the source material of life itself took on a voice that spoke from a deep emotional well of subtle contemplation.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, July 17, 2010

By 

Joe Mugsy "The Old Geezer" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sigh of Ages (Dig) (Audio CD)

Simply Amazing!!!! How Mr Roach keeps topping himself with each succeeding release is a miracle! He's hit TWO Grand Slams in One At Bat!!!!

This cd is perfect for quiet reflection on one's life, deeds, actions...the other path not taken/chosen.....

If you are a fan of ambient music or of Mr. Roach this cd is an absolute MUST!!! A++++++++++++++++++++++++++!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love It!!!, July 13, 2010

By 

Michael Markulis (Akron, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sigh of Ages (Dig) (Audio CD)

I just received my copy of Steve Roach's Sigh Of Ages, and I have already listened to it three times!!! I love all of Steve Roach's musical experiences, but there is something that seems to be speaking to me on this. The track entitled Morning of Ages has particularly caught my ear as it is one of my favorite Steve Roach musical journeys. I am anxious to listen to this cd several more times, to see how it continues to speak to me. I hope everyone else has an experience this wonderful...

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There are not enough words to describe this aural creation, August 21, 2010

By 

J. Gary Sutton (Pittsburgh, PA. United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sigh of Ages (Dig) (Audio CD)

What can I say that the previous reviewers have not already written? I have only listened to this cd once since purchasing it yet I must say that it quite astonishing with its deep level of profound sound and emotional feel. With many albums it is easy to get into a certain mental voyage as you listen to it unfold. For example,some are space journeys while others are spiritual trips to Tibet. Sigh of Ages takes me to where I have never been before with its rich,haunting,deep,mysterious music that will take repeated listening to in order for me to reach its many layers and meanings.

I would venture to say that this is one of Roach`s finest works and a certain candidate for one of the top cds of 2010. This music deserves six stars instead only five!