The Gallery of Mystical Delights By Steve Sheppard

 

The Gallery of Mystical Delights

By

Steve Sheppard

Written by

Andy Rogers

 

Steve Sheppard is of course well known as a presenter and part owner of One World Music Radio and is very much respected as a reviewer of all kinds of music; New Age to jazz, Rock and more.

The last couple of years have seen Steve starting to record his own music in a new-age and lightly-ambient vein. Early releases were more personal, looking back at times spent with his father or reflecting on the times and spaces he shares on Cyprus with his wife Chrissie. This new album, while keeping the ambient feel of previous releases, takes Steve’s music in a new direction, that of long-form quite dark ambient pieces.

There are just four pieces on the album, the longest is 14 minutes long, the shortest clocks in at nearly 9 minutes. Like all ambient albums this is not a “quick listen” or the sort of thing you play when friends come over. Rather this is an album that demands you sit and absorb it… let the music wash over you and get lost in the deceptive simplicity & repetition – Like the music of Brian Eno there is a lot going on here but you need to listen to it properly to fully appreciate the subtleties.

We start with “The Rocks”, based on a painting of the same name by Vincent Van Gogh. It opens with birdsong and a bright major chord before there is a sudden change. The mood darkens, the birds vanish and the music then reflects the barren landscape of the painting: it’s as if we are under dark grey clouds of an approaching storm. The musical texture reflects this with ominous chords that at times sound like storm force winds. Eventually as the track ends the dark mood passes with the return of brighter skies and birdsong…

Track 2, “Rain”, is based on pictures by the artist Howard Hodgkin and is the longest on the album. The sound of falling rain and distant birdsong leads us into the track where a hypnotic B-minor chord undulates gently then suddenly the rain stops and a D-major chord with a sound almost like the breath of the Gods leads us onto the next section of the track. Finally, the sound of the rain and birds returns to end the track with calm and tranquility.

“The Poppy Field”, based on the famous painting by Monet, is next. The sound of wind in a field of wheat along with birdsong is joined by a positive C major chord setting a positive and light mood. An interesting swishing sound brings to mind the image of the mother and child in the picture as they walk through the long grass before intermittently discordant chords serve to disturb the bucolic mood of the piece. At the end the music fades out to the sound of distant crows and other birds.

Track 4, the last on the album, is “Mountains” and was inspired by the work of Charles Adam Platt. The painting is a bleak monochromatic work and Steve’s music quite brilliantly conveys this: the loneliness of the landscape and the cold colours of the picture are captured wonderfully by an electronic whirlwind of sound. There is nothing comforting here. This is music of desperate desolation that quietly fades away until suddenly and out of nowhere we have a burst of bright major chords until, at the very end, we return to the bleak lonely windswept landscape we heard at the start of the track. 

Steve Sheppard tells us that having wanted to try long-form music for some time he was inspired to record this album by his love for modern art, and the music it creates in his mind. He has succeeded admirably. This is an album that demands to be listened to properly and will be enjoyed by anyone who likes the darker side of long-form ambient music.