review
the new fast lane is bound to be one of
my favorite ambient albums of the year -
and it’s just June! I loved this recording
from the very first listen. It’s just
heaven; I felt my cares float away on cloud
after cloud of its soft synthesizers, as
if they were being carried away on a gentle
wind. Sounds like hyperbole, even by my
standards, right? Well, all I know is I
couldn’t get enough of this CD. I played
it, played it again, and again, and it always
sounded as great as the previous time.
the new fast lane is a combination of older
songs (from previous deep sky divers’
albums such as highlands and skylands, Momentum,
and Natural Power) along with some new material.
But, the older songs have been substantially
reworked in order to achieve a more uniform
“chill-out factor” (on the cover
of the album it states “most chilled-out
and inspirational deep sky divers music”).
the new fast lane is chock full of perfect
chill-out music - not too slow, not too
fast, and lots and lots of silken synths
to pave the road ahead and smooth out the
rough spots.
Don’t get the idea that this is music
without dynamism or is just a bunch of laid-back
electronica, though. Certainly there are
soft spots (sections of “lake of menteith
[part one revisited]” are deliciously
floating ambient in nature), but there are
also slightly darker passages as well as
some uptempo and rhythmic sections too.
“full moon rise” (the first part
of a mini-suite, titled “midsummer
night music”) opens with some dark
swells of keyboards under which are layered
slow tempo beats, kind of like the more
somber work from Jon Mark with the addition
of rhythms. A strange horn-like texture
(almost like a single engine airplane flying
way overhead) brings an air of mystery to
the track, counterpointed by warm bell tones.
Next, “deep sky meditation” features
damped and echoed piano playing a circular
refrain on top of lush synth underpinnings.
The song builds in intensity, again featuring
a strange horn sample as well as dramatic
swelling strings. “start of a new day”
just kicks ass! It has the instantly recognizable
classic “new age/ambient/spacemusic”
keyboard sound to it. You’ll know what
I mean when you hear it - warm, lush, and
just oozing of electronic goodness, helped
along by whooshing synth effects. Things
start to percolate later in the track with
spacy “beeping” sounds and a quickened
pace, leading eventually to muted midtempo
drum beats. Ultra-cool and definitely chilled!
“at the heart of the cyclone,”
which clocks in at nearly twenty minutes,
is the centerpiece of the album, and has
another overtly electronic opening, with
lots of swooshing and swishing and spacy
effects. Piano is folded in on top of the
assorted keyboards to great effect (it lends
an air of melancholy and sincere emotion
to the track). Chill-out rhythms are blended
in later and create a nice rolling ambiance.
But that’s all just in the first five
minutes. To find out what else is in store
- well, you know what you’re gonna
have to do! I will tell you that at some
point in the song, yet another reworking
of “raging calm” (an artist’s
signature song if there ever was one) appears.
And yes, it still retains its amazing power
over me. I cannot get enough of it.
The album closes with a reworking of that
magnificent opening track from highlands
and skylands “beyond the hills”
(this time with the subtitle “by the
low road”) and “lake of menteith
(end peace).” They’re both great
ending pieces, adding an air of finality
and closure to this excellent recording.
I’m sure some people reading this
review will wonder “why buy an album
with older material on it?” Well, what
can I tell you? One, these versions are
new and, in some cases, dramatically so.
Two, the “whole” (that is, how
the new fast lane plays “through”
from start to finish) is amazing. Track
sequencing is spot on and yields a satisfying
and complete listening experience. Plus,
there is new material here, albeit not a
whole album’s worth. So, as far as
I’m concerned, this is not the same
as just re-packaging the same music (not
by a long shot). But, why am I even “justifying”
it? the new fast lane is hands down a gorgeous
and sumptuous recording. Hell, even the
liner notes’ and album graphics are
great! In my review of highlands and skylands,
I wrote that the CD was “about as near
to perfect as an album can be.” Well,
I was wrong. Jon Short and David Jones just
got even closer to perfection. Damn, these
guys are good!
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