SONG OF THE SEAS

Between Voices (1995), a pretty rewarding album featuring several guest vocalists, and the truly excellent concept album El Greco (1998) inspired by the religious Greek-born painter, the Greek synth maestro VANGELIS made Oceanic (1996), a light-hearted and romantic easy-listening synthesizer album not very far above the likes of Yanni. It's a long time since I have listened to Oceanic in its entirety -- the CD is not in my collections -- , but what I remember of it, the two tracks in this single are very representative. Hardly the best tracks, because I remember enjoying the album at the time, to a certain degree.

'Song of the Seas' is featured twice, the album version and a slightly abridged version. Frankly, listening to it even once can get frustrating unless you're just seeking relaxation, if you're any deeper into Vangelis' impressive discography. It's a soft and sugary piece with a steady, relaxed tempo. The production is super clean, and similarly romantic oceanic- holiday atmosphere is in Vangelis' theme for the Roman Polanski film Bitter Moon (which is much better). The lame soundscape lacks any edge or excitement, not to speak of progression. If I should visualize it, imagine a rich lady lying on a beach chair on a serene holiday island, under a parasol, with a handsome servant bringing her sweet drinks. This piece of music is just as clichéd and polished.

'Aquatic Dance' is a bit more interesting. The moody main melody is carried by a synth sound imitating cello. The word dance gives you false images since this is a calm, slightly dark-toned piece in a slow, steady tempo. Instead of a dance of any kind, I can imagine this piece being used in a wild nature TV programme of an underwater life: harmless fish, coral and such. Excitingly exotic but nothing very dangerous.

So, the key word here is easy-listening. Definitely not Vangelis at his best.