myndstream Collection Volume 1 By Various Artists

 

myndstream Collection Volume 1

By

Various Artists

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Various artist albums are a growing concern these days, yes we seem them all the while in the pop industry, but rarely until this year have I seen so many in the contemporary instrumental genre. However if there was one label you would be more than happy to receive one from, then it would be a myndstream collection, and in this case volume one, which of course bodes well for future releases.

We have a stylish and soothing collection of 13 compositions that literally fall from the tree of abundance to enjoy, like the first opus Blue Steel, I have a soft spot for this style of performance and Daniel Lanois provides the listener with an excellent starting point indeed, but from where I hear you ask, well each and every artist on this creation of crafted cleverness were posed a question, that question “What does mindfulness sound like?”

Lanois creates something special with the steel guitar which is an almost guilty pleasure, then one of my personal favourite tracks lulls me further down the line of unadulterated bliss, with a track entitled Parting of the Ways by the ever so talented Lisa Bella Donna, a quality ambient track that you just never wish to leave.

Mindfulness is special to me, after all the now is all we will ever have, tracks like Whispers of Hope, a fine piano performance by Jordan Rudess roots me to the moment with ease, and crafted arrangements like The Sunflower Ghost, by non-other than a king of prog rock, mister Rick Wakeman, manifest something so stilling and serene, that is far from the court of King Arthur, but a composition that allows us to float down a never ending river of the peace, like the Lady of Shallot.

Composer extraordinaire Michael Whalen creates a moment of great beauty as well with his quite soothing musical narrative entitled Always Returning, a delicate touch on the keys and embracing the lighter side of a synth heaven with such consummate ease.

There are more great tracks on the album too, these include Song of the Firefly Harmonium by Mark Isham, Realize by Gustavo Santaolalla, Sierra Dreamscape by Kathryn Bostic, Garish by Michael Brook, and then there were no words... by David Torn, Circles by Marcelo Zarvos and Ambient 2 by Cliff Martinez.

myndstream Collection Volume 1 by the Various Artists have all quite brilliantly answered the question posed, and by buying this wonderfully fluent and peace filled album, you will find that the answer is a meditative ambient dimension of music, that will relax and de-stress you with such a tender touch, it may be a well-worn phrase to say, that this is an album that you must have in your collection, but it actually is, this is a prime example of truly excellent relaxing music that helps you be calm in both mid and body, and in this day and age, that can’t be a bad thing at all can it?