EL CIELO

Hauntingly sad is an apt description for El Cielo. It's not that the album is depressing, just that it isn't exactly uplifting either. This is the kind of album that causes you to become retrospective without knowing you're doing just that. Pink Floyd's great works always had the same effect on me. The music is a sort of alternative / progressive mix, except that the presentation is too good for it to really achieve any real commericial success. That's too bad because this is considerably better than the other schlock on the radio.

I also have the SACD version of this recording, and for any of you that have 5.1 surround capability and an SACD player; you're in for a real treat. This album has a really interesting mix and used the surround channels to great effect without being overtly aggressive and overbearing. Most of the time the rear channels are used for sound effects much like if you were watching a movie. Other times a rhythmic patter will move from the front channels to the rear channels so that the front channels can take up a new, complimentary pattern. The vocals stay firmly anchored to the front with just accents of soaring vocal sections echoing to the rear channels for emphasis. Whoever did the multi-channel mixing for this recording definitely did an above average job. The mixing compares quite favorably to that of Peter Gabriel's Up album in 5.1 surround.

Given the type of music on this disc, the surround mix only adds to the enjoyment without ever taking away from the presentation. I'd recommend anyone shelling out a few extra bucks for the higher resolution, multi-channel SACD version of this recording. Either way, I think this is a fine recording and a worthy addition to most prog fans collections.