Afro Celt Sound System - Volume 3: Further in Time

List Price: $17.98
Our Price: $9.39
You Save: $8.59 (48%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more CD details

CD Details

Music reviews of Volume 3: Further in Time

Music Review: Extraordinary-There are no words to describe this CD.
Rating: 5 Stars

The first album is very autumn sounding and very folky with little electronic sounds. Sure-As-Knot is the highlight of that album. Release is to me a continuation of the brilliance of the debut except it is a bit more wintery to me. Hypnotica is the shining star of Release. Further In Time is different from those two albums, is more summerlike in sound, and beats both of those albums and ties with Peter Gabriels 1989 epic Passion as my all-time favorite World Music album to date. I didn't think Passion could me matched but this CD proved me wrong.

Volume 3 is much heavier, richer, more techno, and far more complex than the other two. The tracks blend so well into each other. This album could not have been better. World music doesn't get more fun than this.

Several guest musicans appear on here including my all-time favorite solo artist, the Real World meistro Peter Gabriel. When You Falling was a classic the first time my ears picked up the first few chords. Life Begin Again features music legend Robert Plant backing vocals on this Egyptian rock tinged track.

There are several tracks to point out on here.

NORTH PARTS I & II: This double track combo is stunning. It starts off as a light sounding track. It then builds up over time with light clickety African drums into a sort of technoish rumbling track before finally morphing into a brilliant creative track with danceable beats, African chants, electronic synths, and Celtic Uillean Pipes. The first part ends but instead of it echoing into quietness like most tracks that end do it instead morphs into a heavy techno beat track that becomes North Part II. Part II is the heavy techno mix of Part I. This song almost at first seems like a whole different track from the first track.

Shadowman may be a bit much for those who liked simpler tracks like Dark Moon off Sound Magic. Shadowman is to me like the rave scene gone to Africa because this song is a fusion of electronic rave dance merged with African chanting and even African hip-hop vocals. Don't feel turned off by this track. The weird guitars are brilliant.

The title track is probably as close to Sound Magic-esque as this album comes but even this one is a far cry from that 1996 masterpiece. This one is similar to Shadowman but not as harse but just as upbeat.

Persistance Of Memory is a very moody yet heartwarming track with beautiful Celtic harps, African vocals, and a very poppy sound. Peter Gabriel fans will enjoy this as much as When Your Falling.

The Silken Whip is the most Celtic sounding song on this CD. It doesnt have nearly as much African sounds but it eventually morphs into another technoish song. This song is to me the most Celtic sounding song on this CD.

The final track Onwards is a powerful moving work of art. Onwards is a very evocotive, mournful, mellow track with a much mellower atmosphere than the previous tracks and closes out this incredible album. The title couldn't have been better. This song to me withs its tearjerking melody is about moving Onwards and letting go of the past. As I neared graduation this song made me cry because I had grown accustomed to high school life and it was time for me to move onwards. I might sound a bit odd but I even find this track to even have a bit of a Brazilian touch to it. This is the most evocotive song ACSS have ever produced.

Any other tracks that I did not point out in my review are also astounding.

There are no reviews that I could that to me can do this album justice. Sure many think of Janet Jacksons dissapointing All For You album as summer-time music but for me Afro Celt Sound Systems Further In Time LP was the soundtrack to my summer of 2001 and could serve as the soundtrack to my summer of 2002 and so onwards.

If the same people who doved into the awful Destinys Child, gender-bashing R&B hip-hop trend also bought this powerful work of art, my faith in Americas taste for music would be reinstated because anyone who has good taste in music must at least try this CD even if you don't end up loving it like I do. Go out and buy this CD. It's so worth it. I doubt ACSS fourth album whenever it comes out will match this one.

Description of Volume 3: Further in Time

Alternative Rock CDs

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