Cosmic Dawn II: Star Child By Andrew Kinsella

 

Cosmic Dawn II: Star Child

By

Andrew Kinsella

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

I have followed the musical path of Andrew Kinsella ever since the album Evolution back in 2008, his impressive climb up the ranks for class acts electronically speaking has been exciting, and now with this new offering, in my view Kinsella has manifested his best work so far.

On the heels of the huge success obtained by Cosmic Dawn the first part of this collection during 2018, Kinsella is back with number 2, Star Child, something we all are of course; the beginning of this voyage of sound is incredibly impressive and called Nebula. The synths here swirl and transport us to this location with such ease and many comparisons could be drawn from the space works of Kevin Kendle on this opener.

Born of Light follows that stunning opening foray and what a beautiful piece it is indeed. The ambience and tenderness of this track is so prevalent and deeply touching, this is one of the most soothing musical narratives I have thus far heard from the artist, and I am sure you will be floating in a state of bliss whilst listening to it.

There is always a wry smile of pleasure that floats across my face when I see that a long form composition is about to come into my view, and that is what we are gifted when we reach the title track off the album Star Child. We are all but stardust, and as such we are all children of the universe, this statement has now got a musical soundtrack, it is one of the most exquisite arrangements your ever likely to hear. Star Child is fluency in perfection; the sounds of the keyboards almost create a whale like cry at times, that seem to fly across the great divide of space, in an ethereal composition that is simply timeless in its construction.

Vortex is a really compelling offering, I found a real depth within this piece that I personally found really endearing, and greatly attractive, this is truly masterful music that will elevate Kinsella into one of the elite electronic space music artist’s top 10 with ease. Vortex has a little Jarre in there as well and is one of the most addictive offerings off the entire album.

The shortest track off the release is the mysterious and deep Dark Matter; at just shy of three minutes it gives an insight into the multi layered aspects of the mind of Andrew Kinsella, short this track maybe, but as far as performance and production, simply top notch.

We have now entered into a region of space so far unknown to the gaze of humanity, and as such this track entitled Emerging is perfect for the occasion. From its gentle synth pads we can with ease see our vast craft appear from the nebulous gasses of a system we have just passed through, and as soon as we do, we view the beauty before us, the tones of the music break into a colourful and moving segment that leads us gently by the hand, to the final collusion of this most charming arrangement.

Ascending is now before us, this suspense filled offering morphs into something quite spectacular and eventually manifests into something ethereal and almost angelic at times. I must say I felt completely moved by this composition, it has been so beautifully created and musically drawn, and the synths are so delicately played, that it made it my number one favourite off the release, one that at times reminded me of Flame Nebula by Kendle, but lighter and less dramatic in texture. Kinsella has in my view manifested something here that is beyond special, it is one of the best compositions I think I have heard from this genre for some ten years or so.

As we move to the end of our space journey we arrive at a beautiful blue M class planet and decide to place our ship into a Higher Orbit, this will no doubt give our science officer time to scan the surface for life forms, without them being aware of us doing so of course. Now you see how easy it was for me to slip into Sci-Fi writing mode, and really it is no wonder when you have such excellent music to inspire you. At times there is a feeling of awe here that is mixed with a little reverence too, in what is possibly one of the most picturesque pieces off the release.

The sad part about listening to and reviewing albums like this, is the point when it all ends, and this is where we are right now, but the upside is that we go out of the album with a track that is just shy of nine minutes long and called Solar Logos, we end with something almost new age in melody, but bright and energetically positive in its overall construction.

As many will know, I’m a big fan of this style of music, I love what it brings to the mind and soul, and here Andrew Kinsella has done it, he has truly created a work of art that will never be forgotten, I do actually believe it, to be his best work so far, and Cosmic Dawn II: Star Child will become one of those landmark albums in many peoples collections. Kinsella has taken his time here, he has played with his heart and soul combined, and manifested an album that is destined to be a classic in this genre.