CONSCIOUSNESS

Windy and Carl are a husband and wife duo from Michigan, USA who have to date released seven studio albums plus a number of extended EPs and singles. Their music is largely instrumental, with Windy Weber adding the occasional vocals. They are primarily a studio project, their music being a diversion for them from running a record shop in their home town of Dearborn, USA. They do however perform annually at the Terrastock festival. The ambient style of their music leans towards electronic prog, primarily due to their use of drone, and the ambient nature of their compositions.

By the time of this album released in 2001, the duo had moved on from home made cassette releases to a full blown recording contract, thus also offering the benefits of a superior sound quality.

The gentle acoustic guitar playing of Carl Hultgren opens the album with a soft "Tubular bells" like repeating melody. "The sun" is a short solo piece to get us underway, forming a sort of prelude to "Balance (Trembling)". Here we find the first ambient drone of the album, the pulsating held note being backed by pattering rhythms. The drones continue on the 10+ minute "Elevation", although here the effect is more evolutionary with the sound appearing to graduallyopen as the piece develops. "The Llama's Dream" appears at first to be a reprise of "Elevation", but soft vocals join acoustic guitar as the piece progresses.

The title track, which runs to almost 13 minutes, combines the drones with acoustic guitar. While remaining primarily ambient, there is a greater variety of colours here, with further largely indistinguishable vocals adding to the appealing nature of the overall sound. The album closes with "Resolution" where the drone sounds are quasi-orchestral.

In all, a pleasantly relaxing album, devoid of bass and drum or anything which might serve to clutter the atmosphere. Certainly not one for those who seek defined melodies or beats, but for those who enjoy mood music, "Consciousness" is worthy of investigation.

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