Ultimate Sky

Michigan | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 20, 2004)
• Original Release Date: November 20, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: A Different Drum
• ASIN: B0006PIQ0A
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #502,413 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very impressive!!!, December 27, 2004

By 

George (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Sky (Audio CD)

i love synth pop/rock. i always have. but im very picky. some of the newer stuff is not my thing. i love the good stuff: DM, CAMOUFLAGE, MESH, DE/VISION, CAUSE AND EFFECT, ALPHAVILLE.

i have to be honest and say that the "red dawn" single did nothing for me. as a matter of fact i think its my least favorite track on the album. and a bad choice for a single. but there was something about it that made me come back for more. and im glad that i did (thanx "rocket" review.). this album got me as excited as hearing "sparrows..." by wofsheim or "stangelove" by dm for the first time, years ago.

"sorrows", "my own denial", "the ocean's wide", and escpecially "destiny's line"---are just outstanding.

heartfelt lyrics, passionate vocals, and a great melody make the perfect songs. and thats what this collection of songs are: perfect. although this album is more enjoyable with each listen,

this is a tight album. i'm sorry i didnt find out about this band earlier. its been a long time since i actually read a lyric booklet. these lyrics are deep. but simple. at least they are for me. good stuff here kids. dont miss out!!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It'll grow on you... fast!, January 22, 2005

By 

Todd Tosti "TT" (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ultimate Sky (Audio CD)

Some CD's you buy don't stay in your CD player very long, while others manage to stay in there for quite a while before you want to take them out. This is one of those CD's that has that kind of lasting power and replay value. It's a great album, with a range of upbeat offerings and some slower songs to round out the album. Songs such as "Red Dawn", "Sorrows", "The Ocean's Wide", "Destiny's Line" and "The Final Song" are personal favorites. If you like strong melodic vocals and electronic pop music, such as Camouflage and De/Vision, then this CD is right up your alley!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Knockout Electronic Alternative Release Worthy of Crossover Attention, August 28, 2005

By 

Walracca "Walracca" (On-air with synthpop/ebm/ind on Tuesdays, 6PM, 91.3 FM, Trenton, NJ; stream: wtsr<dot>org) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Sky (Audio CD)

Here is a perfect example of a record that could be an entry point for many a music fan into the world of synthpop and etc. I like to collectively call "electronic alternative" (at risk of invoking two often misunderstood music-critic tags.) Perhaps nowhere in the West is electronic-based popular music more misrepresented, pigeonholed, and so forth than right here in the U.S. The average opinion of anything that's both pop/alternative and electronic is that it's either A) top 40 syrup, B) bad 80s music, or C) a quirky sideproject by a current college radio rock/alt band that gets the stamp of approval because, well, when the guys in the band aren't being quaint, they rock. This sort of thinking is quite understandable -- this is how the scene is "presented" -- i.e. it's not.

So as a DJ of one of the few electronic-alt only radio shows in the US (Transmission Control, 91.3 FM Trenton, NJ -- a non-commercial station, obviously) I'm not only interested in playing great synthpop, electro-industrial, etc., I'm also always on the lookout for 100% integrity crossover material. With this album, I've spun nearly every track on my show.

Fact: those "Postal Service"-style side projects I mentioned are a good thing, but it's even better when a dedicated synthpop band cuts a nearless flawless record like "Ultimate Sky" by Michigan. Sure, the liner notes need some editing, and occasionally the words veer toward the vague (they're from Sweden -- their English is a lot better than my Swedish, to be sure!) It doesn't distract, because the songs have meaning, crisp, straight-ahead rhythms, zero cheese, and the ability to actually rock - literally. The song structures here are *not* Erasure (no insult here, just a fact) -- they're verse/chorus alternative rock done with very expressive analog-ish synth sounds and guitars. If you can get into The Killers/The Format/et al of today, the Psychedelic Furs/Bunnymen of then and now, or the sounds of Mesh/etc. (insert your own examples here), you can crank this up and maybe discover an entirely new scene happening right under our noses (if you haven't already.)