Arctic

Michael Thomas Berkley

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 18, 2000)
• Original Release Date: May 23, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: The Orchard
• ASIN: B00004TSI3
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #631,640 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Icy Ellesmere Island, whose northern coastline within the Canadian/Nunavut Arctic lies just 450 miles from the North Pole, serves as the desolate reference point for keyboardist/composer Michael Thomas Berkley's second album. Berkley's abstract sound designs, ornamented randomly with reeds, strings, subdued percussion, and electric violin, paint images of a frozen landscape whose peculiar beauty never really escapes the bleak clouds that cling to its topography. The clarinet that forlornly threads its way through the opening track of Arctic sets the recording's generally austere tone, one that takes repeatedly odd or mysterious turns. Artistically, if you drew a box that placed Tangerine Dream, Brian Eno, Harold Budd, and Jocelyn Pook at its corners, Berkley and his exploratory ambient instincts would hover somewhere within its borders. While not as consistently satisfying as Images from Earth, Berkley's debut disc, Arctic nevertheless yields some intriguing moments, notably three tracks that involve violinist Ari Langer: the softly pulsating "Ice Break," the foreboding "Dark Arctic," and the disc's shimmering closer. --Terry Wood

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars headphones recommended, October 27, 2000

By A Customer

an apt set of titles to a cool collection of pieces. wonderful use of space and patience. it GOES SOMEWHERE, which isn't actually necessary for me, but i think it makes music like this even more endearing upon returning to it. i highly suggest it.