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CD REVIEW: 12 Followers/Meteo Xavier - Espers By: Cyrus Rhodes
"musical indulgence" - INDIE MUSIC DIGEST -
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Artist:
12 Followers/Meteo Xavier Label: Independent Artist Website: http://www.meteoxavier.com/ Genre: Ambient – Chill - Dub Sounds Like: Moby, Prodigy, Peter Gabriel
Technical Grade:
7/10 Weakness: Weak rhythmic foundation, Lacks bottom end frequency
Progressive/Electronic/Ambient/New Age Composer 12 Followers/Meteo Xavier just released his latest effort entitled Espers in 2010.
Logging in at just over 60 minutes the CD gently takes to flight with soothing intro piece “Tritochiark” – Vestigial Dreamcatcher for the Heavenly Integer.” This song methodically serves up infectious musical ambience against mesmerizing rhythm that gently leads you by the hand down the path of musical indulgence. Track 2 “Ornamekais” shifts gears a bit with its slow moving melancholy groove and impressive ambient accents painted against a grand mosaic of soundscapes that brilliantly move like an ocean across the ears. Track 3 “Amenemhetopelzai” an impressive worldly piece that is quite dynamic, full of musical peaks and valleys that flow & ebbs its way through to emotional fruition. This piece is remarkably striking to the ears with its Arabic touches and hypnotic groove. As the CD slowly unfolds I can hear many musical influences reminiscent of a classic Moby, Prodigy and Deep Forrest, however I can even hear brief flashes of Peter Gabriel and even Yasunori Mitsuda. I would classify this music as classic New Age with classic remnants of Dub and Chill - all possessing brilliant flashes of theatrical ambience. You will also notice rich layers of ambient instrumentation layered along the way full of dynamic sequencing, melodic soundscapes, sporadic percussion, piano, flutes. low end beats, sonic vocals, exotic sound effects and enticing melodies. The musicianship and compositions are pretty solid across the board as 12 Followers/Meteo Xavier clearly proves himself as a composer with this release. From striking “Saelmeth” to melodic “Navi Whisperwilde” this CD Pretty much has something for just about everyone. The CD ends with “Sagetellah” the perfect finale statement for a CD of this caliber.
I wish there were more bottom end punch and low end frequency to some of the rhythms and beats presented on the catalogue. I also wish I heard more electronica percussion tidbits that reinforced the rhythmic foundation. It’s safe to say the rhythmic foundation is a bit thin – and represents a whole dimension of musical depth not explored by 12 Followers/Meteo Xavier on this CD. Many pieces are winded and a bit repetitive overall presenting musical meandering that is a bit excessive. It’s fair to say some songs have excessive intros, outros, solo segments. All songs over 4 minutes tend to drag you to the finish line. This last issue I can’t really call into question due to the genera so 12 Followers/Meteo Xavier gets a hall pass on many of the aforementioned issues.
Espers by 12 Followers/Meteo Xavier is a compelling musical journey. Its strong suit it’s amazing sonic ambience the song for song musical flow. 12 Followers/Meteo Xavier gets high marks for his brilliant musical transitions and connecting passages - nice touch. This CD will be a real joy for those listeners out there who want flowing theatrical ambience to fill their sonic space peacefully snd unobtrusively. This progressive format makes for a great extended play experience. I recommend you just hit play, close your eyes and see where the journey takes you. This CD feels like a musical journey and will work best when experienced in that capacity. If I could say anything to 12 Followers/Meteo Xavier is simply this – trim up this CD by 30% and you’ve got yourself a real winner. So if you’re looking for a psychedelic musical experience with sonic ambience, theatrical brilliance and a psychedelic rock aftertaste then I highly recommend you take a listen to Espers by 12 Followers/Meteo Xavier.
Cyrus Rhodes
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