Customer Reviews

Tri-State

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a person who listens to electronic music mostly for the vocals, this album was a hard sell. Regardless, I have found that Tri-State is the best trance album I have heard in a very long time. This is the kind of mind-soothing music that you can't help but become addicted to.

Above & Beyond, whatever names they have adopted over the years, have always been true to the meaning of trance music. This is as true as ever in Tri-State, which has rekindled in me the mesmerizing feeling from which the genre derives its name. A truly exceptional work.

It was Above & Beyond, both directly through their various projects, and indirectly through the Anjunabeats label, that first introduced me to trance, and they remain in my eyes one of the most consistently high-quality artists of the genre.

There is a lot of attention given to composition and songwriting here, as is typical of anything carried on Anjunabeats. Gimmicks and image engineering are completely absent, a stark contrast with the surprisingly pervasive dance music with which many Americans are familiar. Compared to that category, Tri-State is awash with emotion, subtle effects, and a careful application of symmetry and music theory.

"Can't Sleep" might as well be the best representation of this flavor of trance this year (at least since Max Graham's remix of the Jessica Jacobs song "I Know You're Gone"). A poignant, throbbing masterpiece that could almost carry the weight of the album on its own, it is among the trio's best work.

Contrasting with the emotional, vocally intoxicating sound of "Can't Sleep" is "Indonesia" - a purely instrumental piece that could best be described as "intriquing." Together with other tracks that introduce vocals in different techniques, the result is a varied landscape of sound that nonetheless remains stylistically cohesive.

There is just a bit of filler on here that prevents me from giving the CD a cup-runneth-over raving. Also, "Air For Life" is a great song, but was released so far in advance of this album that it feels like old music to me. Granted, if you don't haunt the Anjunabeats web site for new releases as I do, you are unlikely to have noticed this. It's just that my opinion of Above & Beyond is so high that I don't hold them to the same standard as many other artists. If you have even the slightest appreciation of trance, it's hard to imagine being disappointed in this album.

Above & Beyond put out their first artist album, and it's a donwtempo, chill type atmosphere, with a few upbeat tracks, like their smash hit, Air For Life, and the instrumental World on Fire. You get about 4 female vocal tracks, 3 male vocal tracks, and the rest instrumentals. ALL the instrumentals are very good tracks, with a wide range of melodic sounds, and for the most part, are the best part of this album. The standouts include Indonesia and World On Fire.

Air For Life, not really a vocal track with verses and a chorus, just some ethereal vocals, is a great track, but I am not to pleased with Zoe Johnston's track or the final female vocal track, Home. They're a little too slow with less than exciting lyrics. However, the absolute best track on this entire CD, and one of the top trance tracks I've EVER heard, is Can't Sleep, sung beautifully by Ashley Tomberlin of Luminary. All the Luminary tracks, including their most recent Amsterdam, are all exceptional vocal tracks, and Above & Beyond certainly picked one of the classiest vocalists in trance right now for this one. The only other question mark is why isn't Justine Suissa back for at least one track? They've had so much success with her in the past (as Oceanlab), not to mention she is arguably the best trance vocalist of all time, you wonder why she wasn't asked to do something on here. Anyway, Ashley more than makes up for Justine's absence and appears on what I consider to currently be the best vocal trance track of the year thus far.

As for the male vocal tracks, I believe they are all by the same guy who sings on Alone Tonight. I don't care for his voice at all, which makes me not like any of these tracks.

For the most part, a very good artist album, which seems to be hard to come by lately in trance. Just don't expect an upbeat dance floor type mix, because you'd have to go to their previous mix CD's for that. This is something very different, but very good.

This CD really shows how great music can be made in trance. How come it has not really caught on in the US? Well it is inexplicable given quality albums like this. If you want a preview of all the tracks download, their preview podcast on iTunes, it is quite good. Something like the audio version of a DVD movie with commentary, and it is a full 25 minutes long! The podcast really gives you the idea of the motivation behind each song, that each song is not just a bunch of random words thrown to a danceable beat. The trance beats and vocals are inspired by emotions that a lot of music is inspired by: lost love, fear, despair, hope. My favorite tracks are "World on Fire", "Alone Tonight", and "Hey You", which the group helpfully says hey can be replaced by any four letter word you wish to substitute. Also "Air for Life", which won at the Miami WMC Global Trance Awards this year, and was rated as the best track on Armin Van Buuren's State of Trance radio broadcasts last year. A quality purchase for anyone new to trance and any experienced trance addicts who want a very diverse album.

What a great compilation by the British dj trio! Absolutely mind blowing, the best progressive trance/synth-pop record of the year 2006. Every track is jamming. Not a single dull moment. If you like this then you will like Tiesto's ISOS # 5 which also came out the same year. Stay tuned for the new album Anjunabeats:Worldwide for more of Above and Beyond. It contains lot of previously unreleased tracks which were only heard previously on 'Trance Around the World' by Above and Beyone Live radio broadcasts. The 2nd cd of Anjunabeats:Worldwide contains a track called M.I.R.A which is a killer! Above and Beyond Rocks!!

Most Definetely one of the best new trance proposals of 2006

The album has been a surprise even for me who has been following A&B for quite some time.
I've played the album to friends who are not trance fans by any means and get asked about who's playing and how dancy/clubby the songs are in a relaxing manner.

'Tri-State' is a beautiful melodic introduction to the album, it sets the tone before the rest of the songs whack you out of place, let you cool off before the heat is put back on!
You will find 'Home' gives an excellent conclusion to an album with ups and downs.
There is a continued mix of instrumental and vocal tracks, which makes the album listenable in a lot of different environments.

My preferred tracks are 'Stealing Time', 'Air for Life', 'Cant Sleep', 'Liquid Love' - a 5 star definitely goes to 'Air For Life' whose enchanting vocals send you off on orbit.

I regret that other singles previously released by A&B were not featured on the album. I guess they wanted to only add new tracks and compositions into the album, still 'Far From In Love' and 'Razorfish' would have been excellent additions.

A&B are three excellent DJs and producers, watch out for more surprising guest vocalists in the future as I'm sure there is plenty of room for even better exceptional tracks to come out from these Fab 3's!

I never write reviews, but I just have to say, get this album! You won't regret it. No matter what taste in music you have, this CD has a song for every mood you're in. I keep trying to decide what my favorite track is, but I can't. It's all based on my mood. Sometimes I like listening to the fast-paced beat of "World on Fire" or the soothing, relaxing "Home" or the dreamy "Alone Tonight" or the haunting "Liquid Love." The only song that I don't like is "For All I Care," but other than that, this album is perfect! The best music for driving your car as well. All I can say is, get it!

Every track on this CD is great. My favorites are Air For Life and Can't Sleep. Hasn't left my CD changer since I bought it.

These guys throw a ton of vocals into their stuff, which isn't characteristic of trance; however, I'm not gonna be a "purist" on this one, because they do it so well. I really like this one. "Can't sleep", "good for me", and "home" are just brilliant. I have no idea what "good for me" would be under, but it's beautiful.