(earman 110) Darren Harper - Seasons Within

Darren Harper - Seasons Within
Label: Earth Mantra
Catalog#: earman110
Format: File, MP3, 320 kbps
Country: US
Released: 31 Dec 2009
Genre: Electronic
Style: Ambient
All music written, performed, and recorded by Darren Harper.
Thanks to Jacob Newman for the original photography, used with permission.

The year 2009 has been a difficult one for many people in many ways, a year of great economic hardship and dreams lost, of global conflict and cultural friction, a year of immense turbulence for nearly every citizen of this little blue planet of ours. So we feel it is entirely appropriate to close out this chaotic year with an album of sublime peacefulness and inspired awakening.

Thus, we unveil "Seasons Within", the newest release from Colorado ambient prodigy Darren Harper. And what a glorious collection of active meditations these tracks represent.

The album was born through experimental improvisations inspired by the early Autumn snows and high winds Darren experienced this season in his lovely home town in the Rockies. He reports that this is his favorite time of year, and this music is is a direct expression of his love of the colder seasons. The pieces are what he calls "improvised drones and tonations" that reflect the inward contemplation and reverie that is characteristic of autumn. He hopes that this album "helps usher in that experience for the listener as well".

We could not pick a better word than 'reverie' to describe this release. As is typical of any of Darren's work, the music is thoughtful and brilliantly constructed, with his trademark depth and craftsmanship. But another word we would use to describe it is 'profound', for in listening to the album end to end, it is impossible not to feel the remarkable sense of tranquility and centeredness that the music endows. As a result, "Seasons Within" is as useful as a meditation aid as it is a comforting backdrop, every bit as soothing as a warm blanket and a hot cup of tea on a cold evening in the mountains. Very simply, this is some of the most intelligent ambient music we have heard in a long time.

So as we look back on 2009, we realize that, despite the challenges, there were some definite bright spots - and the emergence of so many gifted musicians like Darren is definitely among them. Darren Harper is truly an amazing ambient artist, and we could not be prouder to bring his music to our listeners, or to close out the year 2009 with his majestic release "Seasons Within".

As always, all Earth Mantra releases are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported license. For commercial use, please contact us.

Tracklisting:
1. Tones (11:02, 25.8 MB)
2. Approach (6:40, 15.6 MB)
3. Like Drifting Leaves (10:30, 24.6 MB)
4. We Catch the Wind... (8:17, 19.4 MB)
5. A Season's Dream (9:55, 23.2 MB)
6. Found (6:16, 14.6 MB)
7. Always Changing; Forever the Same (20:48, 48.7 MB)



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