Customer Reviews

Voices From the Dust Bowl

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Just got back in from an early Sunday morning drive while listening to this CD. I can say that Fragile State has outdone themselves.

To my ears, this set sounds like a perfect fusion of Zero 7, John Barry and Jimmy Webb with a little Ennio Morricone thrown in for good measure. Atmospheric arrangements abound, and they always have an Air (notice the hint towards the group) of mystery about them without ever sounding like a sacrifice is about to take place.

My only caveat is that I had to turn the bass all the way up in order to get it to the levels of other music in this genre, so the sound wouldn't be quite so flat. Not sure if it was only my copy, or if the group purposely wanted the bass to be understated.

No matter. Voices From The Dust Bowl is one of the best things in its musical category to come along within the past 5 years...and that's really saying something since this field is loaded with talent.

upon first listen, i really wasn't that impressed. there's an understated grace to many of the tracks on this cd that requires repeated play. i soon realized what a treat this album is--at least half the songs here are absolute masterpieces (and i don't use that term lightly). check out "new bassa" for a good example of Fragile State's brilliant and unique songcraft at work.

Just got back in from an early Sunday morning drive while listening to this CD. I can say that Fragile State has outdone themselves.

To my ears, this set sounds like a perfect fusion of Zero 7, John Barry and Jimmy Webb with a little Ennio Morricone thrown in for good measure. Atmospheric arrangements abound, and they always have an Air (notice the hint towards the group) of mystery about them without ever sounding like a sacrifice is about to take place.

My only caveat is that I had to turn the bass all the way up in order to get it to the levels of other music in this genre, so the sound wouldn't be quite so flat. Not sure if it was only my copy, or if the group purposely wanted the bass to be understated.

No matter. Voices From The Dust Bowl is one of the best things in its musical category to come along within the past 5 years...and that's really saying something since this field is loaded with talent.

This one is a keeper..i bought the new Zero7 album along with this one...Fragile State has a gem on their hands...lush keys and great vocals...the key tracks for me are "four-four-four", "cleo", "600 bliss"...in fact they are all good.
Add this one to you collection..put it on with some some friends over and a nice dinner.

When I first learned Zero 7 was releasing their new cd (When it Falls) I was excited. However, the real excitement should be for this cd....Voices from the dust bowl is a "masterpiece." It is somewhat similar to their first release and Zero 7 (as it should) but somehow they have raised the bar...Words can not sing the praises for this work......

I loved Fragile State's debut, _The Facts and the Dreams_, so much that I was afraid their follow up, _Voices of the Dust Bowl_, might suffer from raised expectations. Well, yes and no. The mellow dreaminess is still wholly evident from the first track, "Four-Four-Four," but what weakens this album in comparison to the first one is a touch of self-indulgence. "Four-Four-Four," for example, would have been perfect at half its length. That's not to say, of course, that I dislike the album. It has a good number of excellent tracks, like the descending jazz of "600 Bliss" or the ambience of "Paper Smile." Fragile State excels, in addition, at integrating curlicues of world music without seeming patronizing: the mysterious vocals and didgeridoo in the melancholy "Cleo" add to the atmosphere; the recycled vocal of "Overcurrent" blends into the jazzy breaks. A completely enjoyable experience, despite my own expectations.

This is truly wonderful music. You get the best of Chill with the complexity of jazz. Most of the chill music out there is repetitious and simplistic. This has layers and layers of sound. Check out New Bassa. This particualr track reminds me of Pink Floyd. Almost surreal.

Have you ever bought an album on a whim, thrown it in the cd player, and started to cry in joy almost the moment it began to play?

I did with this one. This is gorgeous stuff, stuff that I really can't even begin to explain. I don't really have a lot of "chillout" experience, so maybe what Fragile State does here has been done before... but my God.

It even feels a little cheezy, like love songs for some futuristic sci-fi/romantic comedy. But for some reason it's tough to compare to any other cd I have.

This album is the realisation of up-beat downtempo chill -u-like no-nonsense satire for the yoga-mat classes.
It is the "one-step-beyond "of late night listening, the insomniacs almanac ,a veritable fish tank of dreamy neptunian carp bubbles through lifes great vocoder .
Voices from the dustbowl is a confusing understated title mi-sleading dyson owners all over the global carpet.Hoover up these bootiful norfolk sounds while ye can.