Afro Celt Sound System - Vol. 2: Release

List Price: $16.98
Our Price: $10.49
You Save: $6.49 (38%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $1.97 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more CD details

CD Details

Music reviews of Vol. 2: Release

Music Review: Cairo, Egypt on a Canadian winter landscape
Rating: 5 Stars

To me Release is like the bridge between the folkiness of Sound Magic and the technopoppish sound of Further In Time and it pays off well.

To me it is astonishing that two seamingly ancient yet opposite cultures blend so well together. Before I bought this I found it hard to imagine a song with Celtic harps, flutes or Uillean bagpipes alongside African chanting, drums and African flutes but this CD has it all plus unlike the poppy almost mainstream sounding Futher In Time LP, Release is much less technoish and much more mysterious. I absolutely love all of ACSS albums especially Further In Time.

This CD left me almost speechless. Basically this album continues the tribal sounds of Sound Magic but this time they spice it up with some more electronica. Even with more electronica, Release is one for fans of Sound Magic to enjoy save for maybe Riding The Waves which probably belongs on Further In Time.

The best tracks in my opinion are the title track, Eirean, Even In My Dreams, Hypnotica and I Think Of....The rest are great. To me this CD has the kind of eerie music that to me gives a very wintery feel.

The title track sets the general mood of this album. It's a gorgeous song with African drums played with Celtic melodies laced with from what I can guess is a Middle Eastern accordion. Singer Sinead O'Connor sings vocals on here and it makes this song very mystifying.

Eirean is a masterpiece. This song is poppier with a danceable beat laced with African vocals and Celtic flutes. The beat is strong enough to dance to. Eirean is a strong song with strong hooks and the right kind of melody to go along with it. Even explaining this track isn't enough to really give away really how it sounds.

Even In My Dreams is ideal evening music. This song begins with an airy feel and plays along with gorgeous sounds. This track is one to listen to to really understand how it sounds like.

Hypnotica is one track that left me speechless. The strong amplified chanting took my breath away upon first listening. If you liked Sure-As-Knot off Sound Magic you will love this one. In fact you'll love this one even more. This song is more intense. The ending is very eerie.

In My Dreams is an intense song with Youssou N'Dour-like vocals singing in Irish Gaelic over an intense brooding atmosphere. If you loved Peter Gabriels Passion, you are going to love this one too. I love how the song intensifies with the Riverdance-like sounds during the most intense parts of the song.

Any other songs I haven't reviewed are excellent works of art but the ones I reviewed above are the ones that standout to me and Hypnotica is the shining star of this album.

One more song is a standout but mainly because of how different it is. Riding The Waves is the most rave-like song ACSS have ever produced. While I love this song it in my opinion sounds more like something from Further In Time but yet even this track would sound out of place on that album because this song is mysterious.

This CD is absolutely astounding and is one worthy of owning. And they only get better with the epic, earth-shattering Further In Time.

Description of Vol. 2: Release

Alternative Rock CDs

• Music > Styles
• Dance & Electronic
• Folk
• World Music
• New Age
• Pop