Faeries: A Musical Companion

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Subtitled "A Musical Companion to the Art of Brian Froud," Faeries comprises a mixed bag of music--techno, trance, cinematic soundscapes, New Age--befitting the mythical objects of Froud's paintings and drawings: at times impish, lovely, annoying, majestic, curious, and beguiling. Overall, it's an interesting if not wholly satisfying hodgepodge of pop-techno vocal tracks (all using female voices) and instrumental works that have no actual link to the notion of faeries (or, for that matter, to one another). After four female-rooted vocal selections (the most notable being the inventive, pulsating "Dreaming" from producer-DJ BT), we arrive at the disc's showcase track, "Miserere," a radiant choral mini-epic borrowed from Paul Schwartz's State of Grace disc.

Also of interest is the stroll along a gleaming, heavenly pathway (augmented by a percussive, Mardi Gras-like atmosphere) from James Hood and Grant Showbiz (a.k.a. Moodswings). The disc's two concluding numbers are the only ones with ties to Windham Hill's traditional sound: the anticipation-edged title track from Aerial Boundaries by the late, great Michael Hedges and the slightly wistful "Hugh" by Nightnoise, which provides the album's lone hint of Gaelic influence. The package includes a 16-page CD booklet, which contains some Froud artwork. The enhanced CD adds an interview and more artwork, some of it not seen before. --Terry Wood

Tracks:

Sweet Allure - Balligomingo
Dreaming - BT
Natures Kingdom - Delerium
Awakening - Sasha Lazard
Miserere - Paul Schwartz
Wild Butterfly - Balligomingo
Alegria - Cirque Du Soleil
Undistracted - Moodswings
Nevermore - Paul Schwartz
Aerial Boundaries - Michael Hedges
Hugh - Nightnoise

Amazon.com

Subtitled "A Musical Companion to the Art of Brian Froud," Faeries comprises a mixed bag of music--techno, trance, cinematic soundscapes, New Age--befitting the mythical objects of Froud's paintings and drawings: at times impish, lovely, annoying, majestic, curious, and beguiling. Overall, it's an interesting if not wholly satisfying hodgepodge of pop-techno vocal tracks (all using female voices) and instrumental works that have no actual link to the notion of faeries (or, for that matter, to one another). After four female-rooted vocal selections (the most notable being the inventive, pulsating "Dreaming" from producer-DJ BT), we arrive at the disc's showcase track, "Miserere," a radiant choral mini-epic borrowed from Paul Schwartz's State of Grace disc.

Also of interest is the stroll along a gleaming, heavenly pathway (augmented by a percussive, Mardi Gras-like atmosphere) from James Hood and Grant Showbiz (a.k.a. Moodswings). The disc's two concluding numbers are the only ones with ties to Windham Hill's traditional sound: the anticipation-edged title track from Aerial Boundaries by the late, great Michael Hedges and the slightly wistful "Hugh" by Nightnoise, which provides the album's lone hint of Gaelic influence. The package includes a 16-page CD booklet, which contains some Froud artwork. The enhanced CD adds an interview and more artwork, some of it not seen before. --Terry Wood

Customer Reviews:

A great gift from my son I love it........2005-06-16

I really like this cd it is different and that!s what I like about it. There are all different types of faeries so there needs to be different types of music to go along with them . I think that!s what Brian Froud wanted when he picked these songs to go along with his book. This cd puts me in a different frame of mind when I listen to it. I have all of Gary Stadlers cds also celtic faery music I enjoy all of them.

Different But Good.......2003-03-05

This is definitely not a CD for relaxation, but it is good music, mostly techno/pop stuff. If you're looking for relaxing instrumental music instead, I'd recommend David Arkenstone or Yanni.

Faeries, The art of Brian Froud.......2003-02-19

I love this CD!! I listen to it at work, using my head phones, and I'm in another world. Of course I also listen to it in my car as well. Two songs on this CD really are absolutely enchanting, haunting and just beautifull. The first one is "Miserere" and the second one is "Nevermore", which is very pretty to listen to. I also like the variety of music on this CD. It's not the same sound of song after song. Different melodies, beats and so on. I perfer this CD than the Woodland CD. Though Woodland is not bad, but it seems to repititious in it's songs throughout the CD. But the songs do sound nice.

Beautiful, But...........2003-02-12

I have always thought of fairies as celtic entities, and light airy music as their forte. This CD was a little too dark and mysterious for my taste. I found it impossible to meditate to. I found it to be very TODAY type music with a tilt toward the dark side. The art work is lovely. I love everything that Brian Froud as done artisticly, but this music was too edgey for me.

Return me to the realm of Faerie..........2002-11-05

Faeries: A Musical Companion to the Art of Brian Froud
Review by Kerrie Colantonio (C) October 2002 All Rights Reserved

Rippling sounds, waves, breaking through the pool that gathers at the base of the spring, arms reaching out to draw me in, to trade places, worlds. Faerie walks the world of Man, human girl wanders lost in wanderlust, head swimming in glitter and glam.

This past Spring I was beckoned into the Faerie glen by the poetry and lilting notes of Woodland at the Faerieworlds Festival. Early this Autumn, I found myself again drawn into the realm by FAERIES: A MUSICAL COMPANION TO THE ART OF BRIAN FROUD, falling in step with leaf-sailing pookhas and faeries in legwarmers and scarves!

From ultraviolet underground to light and aerie, the songs and melodies selected for this collection are well mixed. The seductive sounds of "Sweet Allure" by Ballingomingo and "Dreaming" by BT will pull you down into the underground dance scene- and right on through to the realm of Faerie. Soft and ethereal, the voices of Aylmer and Cahill singing "Nevermore" will sweetly haunt you as you go about your day, while the joyous notes of "Alegria," from Cirque du Soleil's show of the same title, will raise the spirit and send it on its merry way to paint the world with rainbow colors.

Upon starting the enhanced portion of the CD, faeries and piskies dance in and out of view, a smooth blend of mythical art and digital mastery. Enhanced features include a Gallery, text from an Interview with Brian Froud, a Film Clip from "The Fairy Faith," an Animation, and an Excerpt from the new Lady Cottington's Fairy Album.

Images in the Gallery feature friends old and new, some never been seen before (as is the way from time to time with fairy folk) - particularly haunting is the image, "The Ragged Wood," a masked woman, emblazoned with a red rose.

Jugglers and fans of GOOD FAERIES/BAD FAERIES and THE FAERIES' ORACLE will clap their hands with joy to see the young balancer, Adroito, with his magical balls in motion in the Animation. Look carefully- faeries like to pop in and out of our lives and the screen in the blink of an eye!

Photos and folly, faith and fancy, following and falling- here they all start with the same thing- Froud. I think Brian said it best in the Interview: "Music has a wonderful ability to create space; it discretely lifts you out of the current moment and transports you into another world. The type of music is not important; what is important is that you surrender to it and let it take you away?" I surrender, I surrender?

Night dances back to the edge, sends herself to where I stand, and I stand on the edge, where I once stood, so long ago, so recently. I do not return to where I once lived, for I did not live there, did not breathe there, I merely was. Following the path I thought I knew, past the cottage where I once grew, towards the horizon, so deep and blue, to find and begin a life made new, a Life True.

(C) Kerrie A. Colantonio October 2002 All Rights Reserved
Please do not reproduce without the author's express permission.

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