Albums in Review Part IV : Soothing Vibes & Gritty Drama
Posted on Nov 23, 2017
It's been a while since our last album review: we've all been working hard creating new albums, and there's another one on the way at the start of December. But there's never a bad time to delve into the back catalogue and revisit old gems, so without further ado, here's a look back over 2FM013 to 2FM016.
This collection of albums is a healthy balance of pure acoustic and hybrid electronic music, and it’s brimming with strings. Whether accompanied by a piano or striking out on their own, there’s something here sure to delight any aficionado of instruments with bows. If genre-bending electronics is more your thing - or even if it isn’t - give 2FM014 and 2FM016 a listen. You’re sure to be pleasantly surprised. Don't forget that all of our music is now available to purchase on CD Baby - just click on the link next to each playlist. Just remember to get in touch with our distributors if you would like to use our music commercially.
2FM013 Piano & Strings is a simple yet beautiful album. Gentle, mellow piano intertwines with tender and heartfelt strings on a journey through innocence, love, loss, regret and awakening. Expect plenty of gorgeous melodies, especially from the cello, which often takes centre stage with yearning, heart-on-sleeve solos: dive into the playlist or watch the video for more.
"Surprisingly enough, this album features Piano & Strings" - Daryl continues to inspire with pearls of wisdom.
2FM014 Tuned Percussion takes us into a hypnotic world of ringing glockenspiels, soft xylophones and haunting tubular bells with ripples of harp, piano, shimmering chimes and subtle synth beds. Layers of sound move in and out of focus, gently building into an all-enveloping haze. Kick back, relax and let each track ensconce you in a mesmerising cocoon.
Can you tell that we love writing for strings? Although this fine family of instruments appears in many guises throughout 2FM’s catalogue, 2FM015 Dramatic Strings is the first album dedicated to the power of a no-frills, unadulterated live string orchestra. Full of fast-paced excitement, unsettling angular melodies and twists of 20th Century Russian drama, each track is bound together by the raw grit of passionate string playing.
2FM016 Industrial Hybrids: Beds and Builders is a different kind of gritty. A true marriage of the acoustic and electronic, we’ve written this album so that both the synth and orchestral elements work well on their own, but complement and enhance one another as a hybrid. Sometimes tense, sometimes reflective, other times all-out thunderous, this album opens up whole new dimensions of sound.
We hope you're enjoying our Albums in Review series so far. The next instalment is all about exploring landscapes both natural and urban, with some all-out showtunes thrown in for good measure.