"Copia" by Eluvium

Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for another review of an instrumental only album. In this case, it's the "ambient/electronica but not really" album titled "Copia" by Eluvium, one of my favorite ambient artists, though his most recent album features vocals.

The album is the amazing combination of relaxing and epic. If you don't believe me, just take a look at the album artwork. The human-ish creature on the cover is a recurring character in most of Eluvium's album artwork. It's as if we as listeners are following his journey. And that's exactly what this album feels like: a journey to some majestic, far-away place.

It's the perfect set of songs to just float away into. I listen to it when I'm doing homework and I absolutely need to focus or when I'm reading and I just want to forget every single bit of stress around me. Thirty seconds into the first piece and I'm gone. Nothing can bother me.

The album almost feels like one big classical composition in itself. Strings, woodwinds, piano, and brass make up a huge part of the instrumentation. It feels as though your listening to a soundtrack. If only there was a movie that went to this music. I'd be in line waiting to see it. This feel of one big orchestral effort is aided by the song titles, many of which include musical terms such as "hymn," "prelude," "requiem," and "ostinato."

As a little sidenote, the final song on the album, "Repose In Blue," is the grand finale to the symphony, complete with the sounds of fireworks.

For anyone looking to expose themselves to some great ambient music, the work of Eluvium is a perfect introduction. For those of you who are already fans of that genre and are looking for another great artist to follow, look no further.

My three favorite songs on the album are "Amreik," "Requiem On Frankfort Ave," and "Repose In Blue."

Here's a link to Eluvium's Myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/eluviumtaken

Until next time, enjoy the music and please tell all your friends to go to the "I Need Your Help" post and click on the link to Castle Ink to help me win a scholarship!

Thanks :)

Andrew