QUIET DAYS ON EARTH

The follow up to 2018 Deconstruction of Light - Hagen and Nico return with with 79 minutes of beautiful soundscapes -more ambient and less industrial than the predecessor.15 tracks take you through a journey of moods.If you want to compare then elements of Tangerine Dream,Camel,classicPink Floyd and a touch of pastoral Genesis. No weak tracks,but I will highlight some standouts. Track 2 Silhouettes has a quiet piano intro and sequencer kick in at 1.25 similar to T Dream.Percussion hits at 3.45 -and overall a great track with many parts. Track 3 mer de Glacé sounds icy -very Vangelis - a short track,but quite beautiful Track 4,the title track goes through many phases.An acoustic intro backed by subtle organ,synths enter at 2.48 then Camel like electric guitar at 5.16 -this has everything. Eerie voices begin track 7 ,which begins with a siren like synth blast and builds calmly but dramatically to 4.35,but then quietens into a calm but beautiful conclusion Track 8 Durance -a short track but destined to be a highlight is a quiet track with soft percussion and gentle,bubbling synths dancing playfully. Track 12 begins with church sounding organ,builds with acoustic guitar and sequencer,then symphonic ending after 2.30 Track 14 begins with very Steve Hackett like acoustic guitar,and flute similar to pastoral Genesis,changes direction at 1.50 with more dark synth pattern.I like the closing sequence of this with sax sound over an increasing symphonic background -quite King Crimson Track 15,the final track is quite beautiful with a Mellotron flute like intro at 1.09 comes a stunningly beautiful Air-like synth backdrop with percussion,piano and a gentle beat - my favourite track -one I will play a lot.The album ends on this optimistic note -stunning. This has to be one of the albums of the year and highly recommended.