Unveiling the Natural Essence in Music
An eclectic ensemble of instrumentalists; fantastically imaginative compositions; masterful playing and an ear for detail. If you add all of these things together you would have a dream. The music of dreams, a perfect balance of everything needed to make emotion in sound, as simply and as purely as you could ever need to. Well for MVI (Mark Vickness Interconnected) it is no dream. The latest album from MVI, ‘In the Rain Shadow,’ holds all of these aspects in the palm of its hand and it has them under complete control. The songs on this album flow like wind through breaks in mountain ranges, they roar like thundering rapids, and they coo like birdsong in the morning. ‘In the Rain Shadow’ is a reflection of nature conjured in sound by masters of the craft.
From the start of ‘High Desert’ I was hooked. The tone and texture of the acoustic guitar is stunning. At first, I thought the album was going to be simply that, an acoustic guitar played with heart and soul. I was thrilled and so ready to kick back and relax to the wooden timbre, when something else fell into my lap. That rapping percussion, muffled and warm. The song takes on a whole new dimension, the world is wider, I can open my eyes, I am not surrounded by walls but by wind. Then more comes in, and more and more. ‘High Desert’ feels like uncovering a vista and realising your eyes are the first to ever take in that sight. It’s yours and that makes it personal. Each song to follow is a gem of personal and emotional discovery. Make of them what you will — that is the glory of music.
‘The Gorge’ takes us lower, it’s wet here, cooler. The sky above is still bright blue, though the rain is falling around us. We are not cold, but together, one with the dampness of the soil, the break in the walls, the fertility of the land. ‘Stillness (for Will)’ gives us breath. It allows us to take in the sounds, the presence of nothing but our thoughts. The strings pluck at memories and we go back to the times they were made, we sit now in that nature, in all nature. ‘Rupak (for Ty)’ unpacks the wonder that we are feeling in the now. With a pace and a deep percussive section, we begin to travel around the globe acquiring sounds and techniques that bolster our spirits and enrich our imaginations.
The journey, unfortunately, comes to a close with the title track, ‘In The Rain Shadow.’ It mirrors the start of the album, acoustic guitar up front with the percussion its partner in crime, but it goes on a very different path from there; one we may walk, someday (fingers crossed). This album from MVI (Mark Vickness Interconnected) drew vivid pictures in my mind with deft hands and a subtlety that I had never felt before. The instruments are wild and varied, this is an album of the world. The playing of it all is first class and the mixing and mastering work to do justice to the arrangements. ‘In the Rain Shadow’ is an album that will always speak to that natural part of humanity. Years from now, when all is chrome and dust, this music will be our flower; its petals evergreen, and strong.
Genres: Instrumental, World Music, Acoustic
Moods: Reflective, Expansive, Nature-Inspired, Soulful
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