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Review of Sidetracks - Volume 3 - The
Heikkinen Exclusive
Bill Binkelman, founder and current webmaster of
Wind and Wire, performed the following
review of
Sidetracks - Volume 3 - The Heikkinen Exclusive.
With his permission, I'm including the review in it's
entirety here, and have incorporated quick links to the samples of each track
from the CD that he speaks directly on throughout the review.
Thanks Bill! |
KEITH RICHIE
Sidetracks Volume 3 (The Heikkinen Exclusive)
Indieopolis (2005)
In the liner notes, keyboardist Keith Richie cites musical
influences as diverse as
Tangerine Dream,
John Carpenter,
Enya,
Deep Forest,
Kraftwerk and
Vangelis. Listeners might be apprehensive about how such a
mishmash of inspiration will be translated on this CD of nineteen tracks. Have
no fear, because, while there is a fairly wide assortment of music styles on
Sidetracks Volume 3, the album itself holds together quite well, owing to
Richie’s recognizable keyboards which help maintain continuity. Also, nine of
those nineteen tracks are actually short transitional pieces, entitled “Relaxed
Breathing Sessions” in the liner notes. These brief musical interludes and their
accompanying nature sounds serve to unify the disparate songs into the “whole”
of the recording.
Richie is certainly ambitious. Sometimes, this ambition gets
the better of him when his artistic vision is slightly undercut by less than
spot-on execution (such as less than optimal keyboard sounds). However, I can
easily forgive him this when I take into consideration how diverse and wide in
scope the music on Side Tracks Volume 3 is. If I had to categorize the
CD’s music, it’s probably safest to list it as either electronica or electronic
new age, although elements of world fusion and EM can be heard as well. “Arctic
Shores” has Vangelis’ gravitas and flowing melodicism with
twinkling bell tones, forlorn horns, and swirling washes. “Ghost
Town” attempts to paint a musical portrait of the title, even
going so far as to include sound effects such horses walking. Mychael Danna-ish
strings are blended with short bursts on shakuhachi flute and plenty of synth
embellishments in the background, e.g. sparkling bell trees. Sadly, the sound
effects may tend to pull you “out of” the music. However, maybe you will enjoy
their novelty more than I did. “Ptilopteri
Waltz” is properly delicate with a waltz-like cadence and melody
played on plucked harp with an undercurrent of strings. It’s here that Richie’s
vision is booby-trapped somewhat by the solo violin sounds which are of lower
quality than I think the song deserves.
“Lost
in Beijing” fares much better and nicely blends male chorales,
muted bass drums, and smooth synth washes, eventually folding in some cool wood
block percussion and Berlin-esque electronics. I’m not sure what to make of “Mellow
Fellow,” a jarring contrast resembling an English-style chill-out
track (after a new age-ish opening) with snappy snare beats and thumping bass.
At nearly nine minutes long, it has to work hard to sustain listener interest. “Sun
in Central Park” may be my favorite song on the CD, uniting
elements of Berlin school at the outset with contemporary electronica featuring
a great midtempo beat and lots of high quality synth work. Another solid number
is “Ambient
Highway” which has the sound of a thunderstorm at the beginning
(nature sounds abound throughout the CD) with sampled steel drums, synth
chorals, especially nice synth string washes, and a sweeping visual sensation
that grows more and more dramatic as the cut builds into something more closely
akin to
Vangelis’ cinematic soundscapes than ambient music.
While not a perfect album, Sidetracks Volume 3
certainly offers solid evidence of Richie’s keyboard and composing talents. As
long as you’re not opposed to nature sounds (especially between selections
during those “Relaxed Breathing Sessions”) and you favor electronic keyboard
music with lots of melody and structure, you’ll find plenty of good music
contained herein. However, fans of the Berlin school should be aware that
despite the liner note mention of Tangerine Dream, I think
Vangelis Kitaro are better comparisons for the album.
Bill Binkelmann
Music Reviewer