Customer Reviews

In the Wake of the Wind

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

That isn't an overstatement. I was in the tail end of my high school journey, and my music life was centered mainly around rap (hey, I was 17) and hard rock. Aside from the rare excursion into classical, I'd never ventured far from those genres. But, one day I was in my favorite music store, and they had this big display for an album called "In The Wake Of The Wind." When I asked about it, I was told that it was a New Age album from a guy named David Arkenstone. The display featured a big map of a fantasy land, and there was an associated contest going on with it. Well, I thought, what the heck? Let's give it a whirl.

Almost ten years later and I'm still whirling. After hearing "Wind" I was hooked. The music had such passion to it, and the soundscape he created was almost visible in its intensity. I was swept away with the music, caught in the fantasy that Arkenstone was creating, and on pieces like Overture I could practically feel the salty spray of the waves on my face and the wood of the tilting deck beneath my feet. He really just blew me away. And from there I was an Arkenstone fan, buying each CD as it came out, and getting his past works. Those led me to other New Age CDs, and now my collection is bulging at the seams. This one album helped to open my eyes to what music could really be. It truly changed my life. If you want to be taken on a journey yourself, I highly recommend this CD. Do yourself a favor and buy it today.

David Arkenstone enjoys what I consider a 'secretive' popularity. Few people would recognize the name, but his music is pervasive. Primarily known for his electronic works, 'In the Wake of the Wind' represents his first attempt at a work that is, for the most part, acoustic. It is also his forst try at producing a coherent album rather than a simply collection of disparate pieces.

He presents two suites, each based on an adventure set in a fantasy world where Andolin, a young man, sets out on a journey to rescue his world from the tides of entropy. The suites are closely related, by both the story and the intertwining musical themes that Arkenstone uses to get his ideas across.

While interesting in places, and generally pleasant to listen to, this is not remarkable music. Thematically, it owes a great deal to Aaron Copeland, and structurally it is reminiscent of Kitaro's 'Silk Road.' Not that the work is 'borrowed' in any sense, but it makes no unique contribution. And it lacks the compelling qualities of the other two composers. This is pure symphonic pop, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

I do like listening to it, but I tend to think of 'In the Wake of the Wind,' as the musical score for a film that was never made, rather than as a serious musical effort. It is, however an impressive display of Arkenstone's mastery of the arcane art of production - the sound is excellent and seamless throughout - something that is very tough to achieve when one is trying to balance acoustic and electronic composition.

The first time I heard of David Arkenstone was this past summer when my high school band director gave us the music for our show this year. We performed Voyage of the Stardancer: Overture, Stardancer, Lion's Breath, Morning Sun on the Sails, Through the Gates, and Sailing. It's not the usual music you hear a marching band performing, but it worked. As the season went on, I grew to really like the music, and wanted to hear more of it. The CD has completly different versions of the songs. The melody is all the same, but all the selections are longer and have a different feel some of the time. I actually like the versions on the CD better because they're softer, and more relaxing. You can usually hear the Irish background in the music, but it comes out really clear in Through the Gates. If you even slightly like the feel of Irish music, you should definatly listen to this! It's so awesome, and so worth getting it.

With his third album, "In the Wake of the Wind", David Arkenstone has decided to move from the simplistic melodies of his previous albums and enter more complex compositions. In the process, he invites the listener to enter a journey, a journey created both by the marvelous harmonies of the album and by the imagination of the listener.

Listening to Arkenstone's albums, it's easy to notice that he likes to make each album unique and different from the last one. Each of his albums has its own sound, and it's this that makes his music so ecclectic and powerful. With "In the Wake of the Wind", Arkenstone has created an album different from its two predecessors. One of the biggest differences has to be the complexity found in the album; instead of long, drawn-out notes and melodies, the songs use more involved and dynamic beats as well as more complex harmonies and rhythms. Another major difference is the number of instruments used; it's difficult to tell whether the instruments are real or digital (Arkenstone reportedly creates a lot of his music with his Mac computer) but the difference musical sounds ranging from guitars to strings to flutes is incredible and adds a lot of character to the songs.

But probably the biggest difference has to be the flow of the songs. Unlike the first two albums, "In the Wake of the Wind" demands the listener to listen to it in one shot. Like the excellent soundtrack to "Princess Mononoke", the songs are better heard in the context of the entire album; but instead of a movie, the album allows the listener to create a story using his imagination. Sometimes the music is so moving it's difficult NOT to let your mind drift. I myself found my imagination wandering during certain songs, and these songs are forever linked to the resulting daydreams I had. Arkenstone's music is just that incredible.

All in all, "In the Wake of the Wind" has to be called one of the essential Arkenstone albums. While some of his later albums are acquired tastes, "In the Wake of the Wind" has the kind of touch that appeals to everybody. So come and take a journey through music and the mind. Take that journey with David Arkenstone.

When I first heard this CD, I was immediately entranced by its soothing and flowing music. At times when feeling stressed out by the days activities, I would play this music to help me kick back and relax. David's music gets the imagination going and at times you can almost feel as if you are carried away on some journey; sailing to a place where none have gone before. I would recommend this CD to anyone who wants to try David's music for the first time. His music has left an impressin on my mind and perhaps it will leave an impression for you as well.

If you are someone that is cautious about buing a CD that you've never heard of before, then this is one that you should not have to worry about at all. You'll immediately come to like the music and will want to buy more of David's music. Right now, I have about seven or eight of his CDs and am continually buying more of them. I hope this review is helpful for you to buy music by David Arkenstone.

A Grammy winner in '91 as best instrumental album, this is a very special work.In fact it's the first of the unforgettable trilogy with inner sleeve tales. The first half is more related to the genius' previous work, with predominant synthesisers, and the second part is a delicious and full of fantasy musical journey full of orchestral sounds and acoustic quality instrumentations. The finale, with 'Through the Gates' is glorious.

This is the best new age album ever made in my own opinion, along with Andreas Vollenweider's 'Down to the Moon'.

"Citizen of Time" was the first Arkenstone album I heard. "In the Wake of the Wind" was, seemingly, even more adventurous, and today is quite possibly my most memorable album. "Wake" is one of Arkenstone's best works, and showcases his multi-instrumental talent beautifully. An adventure is brought to life through each track's diversity and rich sonic tapestry.

In my opinion, this CD marks the peak of Arkenstone's work, with his style fully matured but his ideas still fresh. The music, alternatingly, peaceful, energetic, melancholy, and foreboding evokes images of a voyage across a medieval land. The music corresponds very well to the story, a charmingly naive kind of fable cautioning against the idolazation of wealth. It combines the heartfelt simplicity of folk tunes, the grandeur of classicism, and the accesability of pop to create something entirely new. I suggest you listen to this work as a single piece in sixteen movements, absorbing the imagery and melody. Highlights for me include Dark Dunes, Not Too Far to Walk, The Southern Cross, Overture, The Stardancer (one of his best Celtic tunes), and The Lion's Breath (great percussion!), but every single track is excellent.

Not that it's perfect, though flaws are few. I would have liked more acoustic sounds and less synthesizers, and a few of the tracks are a bit repetetive. All in all, though, a very impressive piece of work.

Arkenstone is always good; but out of the dozen albums of his I have, this still comes across as the strongest. There's a greater feeling of organic unity between the parts, rather than being a scatter of songs, the pieces of a soundtrack, or something pasted together by a written programme. In detail, beyond "Gee, I liked/didn't like this," if you want to know what you're getting: 1. Papillon (On The Wings of the Butterfly): opening, morning flitters that pan into a heartbeat bass over a repeating rush and sparkle and under an upbeat melody that builds to nice peaks. (5:20) 2. Dark Dunes: jazzy melody, upbeat, a bit Caribbean but grounded in moody bass. (3:13) 3. Not Too Far to Walk: cheerful flute over walking reggae; sax and an urban edge. (4:13) 4. Borderlands: something impressive comes up over the horizon on a breeze; almost menacing horn keyboards lightened by chimey strings; base instruments restate massiveness; fades out lightly. (5;36) 5. The Rug Merchant : Reflective, slightly exotic medium beat with no signature ethos. The jazzy flute sneaks in on its best behavior with the guitar and shimmer. (3:33) 6. Firedance: dark base on Caribbean boppy; picks up bright defiance. (3:55) 7. The Southern Cross: reverent and awed organ with distance voices until the rocking drum, bass, and piano lead in the expansive horn and occasional pizzacato; harpsichord break. (5:21) 8. Overture: piccolos over invisible strings bring up the sun before whole orchestra swings into a mild hornpipe; turns suddenly insistent; breaks into harp run; flute turns the hornpipe melody into a sombre romantic reflection; snap back to the insistent orchestra and calling horns at 3:10. (3:51) 9. The Stardancer: Celtic jig, with imitation drone brought under some parts. (4:04) 10. Morning Sun on the Sails: Peer Gynt flute opening again, joined by gentle violin and others. All very quiet, slow, and lovely. At one point recalled a couple of notes of "There's A Time for Us" from Westside Story, to let you know how romantic it runs. (2:35) 11. The Lion's Breath: seabird flutes, but with a forboding of deep drums slowly building through the base section (nice job; unexpected structure); crescendoes into full-bellied sails pushing across the deep; cuts into and trails off in music box and actual seabirds. (3:18) 12. Dances of Jankayla The Marketplace: balalaika East European folk; picks up a good beat for dance. (1:02) The Gypsy's Veil: very tzigane sounding, more Balkan perhaps; the violins get undulous. (1:12) The Festival: distinctly Carribean with banjo into steel drum band, later with Tower of Power horns; fine musical variation on the theme, but out of place culturally with the other two. (2:51) 13. Discovery: choral and chimes, headed into solid beat, calling horn, back to heavy chimes, rolling thunder second opening; travelling music; a bit Wizards. (3:36) 14. Emerald Dream: opens with sound like distant bagpipes; quiet fantasia by flute, strings, and harp. (1:55) 15. Through the Gates: soft, sparkling opening is opened by horn keyboards into upbeat, cantering or skipping melody largely on the strings; big blast then trail off in near silence. (3:10) 16. Sailing: calm, reminiscent piano. (1:48)

David Arkenstone's Grammy nominated masterpiece is one of the finest new age/progressive rock recordings I've ever heard! There is almost nothing In The Wake Of The Wind attempts that it does not succeed at achieving. It's tremendous sense of adventure draws the listener into the fantasy world depicted on the folded map included with the physical purchase, and it's versatility flows seamlessly from progressive rock to classical music to ambient mood pieces. This is a work of art truly deserving of a deluxe edition release properly remastered to preserve the dynamic range in quadraphonic surround because the visual component to this soundscape that is second to none!

"In the Wake of the Wind" is the title to the first of two suites that wordlessly narrate the adventures of a young man named Andolin and his quest to save his world from an esoteric but corruptive force. While only barely defined within the accompanying story that Arkenstone, Eric Lindhert, and Terry Wood wrote, this corruptive force appears to have flourished as a result of people turning their backs on their ancestral spirituality. Although ethereal, it has manifested a number of very real conditions that plague the lands with shrinking forests and growing deserts, and the seas with an unpredictable wind called The Lion's Breath. "Any ship caught in its currents was said to be engulfed by a kaleidoscope of lightning, wind and thunder, leaving no remnants - neither people, craft nor cargo - in its mysterious wake." One of the victims of this weather anomaly was Andolin's very own grandfather.

What unfolds before the listener is the single most visual aural experience I have ever had to pleasure to enjoy. The almosst tangible sensation of flight in the middle of Papillon (On The Wings Of The Butterfly) is akin to sprinting off of a cliff with a handglider in that moment when you are still falling before the gathering wind lifts you again. This song in particular has even found a permanent home at Walt Disney World's Epcot where it plays for the passersby. Dark Dunes engages bass and percussion as a driving force to which the keyboard melodies playfully counter-point. And few songs sound as truly ominous as The Southern Cross. Vividly, I imagine traveling in a small watercraft through a canyon with walls so high that sunlight cannot penetrate the dark waters below. Something above is watching, but I am powerless to change course against the unyielding currents propelling me forward.

Arkenstone named the second suite VOYAGE OF THE STARDANCER. As much as I like the first suite, I like this one even more. Kostia flawlessly arranges the first four orchestral pieces of the suite. Overture and The Stardancer engage the listener in an energetic fashion, but it is the seamless union and pristine beauty of Morning Sun On The Sails and The Lion's Breath that are almost a religious experience.
Arkenstone dedicated the former piece to the memory and music of Aaron Copeland and, indeed, it is a worthy homage to the late American composer.

All in all, my Discovery of this work of art back in the autumn of 1996 is among my proudest moments. Narada's method of releasing periodic compilations of their artists on a single compact disc proved to be a good way of exposing music and artists that might not otherwise see the light of day. Because mainstream music was becoming increasingly "manufactured" by the mid-1990s, I was looking for something different. I wanted originality, songcraft, and bold artistic statements that were the hallmark of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. "In the Wake of the Wind" stood and very much still stands as one of my favorite sanctuaries not only from stresses of the world, but a garden of delights for my imagination.