Sunday, April 09, 2006

Sonic Salad - Meadow Green (Version 2)

Hear The Track Here

For a large majority of Soundclick veterans/regulars/peoplewhoneedtogetalife, 2005 was a tough year. As well as major upsets on the site, we had a few personal ups and downs too. All in all everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the year ended. As did I, I must admit, but my own relief was tinged with a deep sadness that during that year SC (through IMHO a massive miscalculation) managed to lose two of its brighter talents both together and individually. I speak, of course, about the departure from SC to Artist Lauch and other sites of the justly famed Nad Sylvan and Ol' Bon Bonamici. Although they are probably better known these days for their incredible post-Genesis progressive collaboration Sylvan and Bonamici, I still rate their solo works as being some of the finest music I have heard anywhere let alone the festering moshpit we all know as the internet.

While they were here though, they made lots of friends besides me. So thanks Cam for being the friend that brought at least one of these guys back to my ears, because I miss them a great deal. Cam?? wtf??? OK, I suppose I ought to explain here that the aural greenery that festoons the bandname hides one Cam Bastedo in a different guise; that of instrumentalist. A great many people know Cam though his songs but I'm sure there aren't many who know that he is also an adept producer/arranger who takes on a lot of different styles through his SS work (Sonic Salad you understand, not the jackbooted kind). Meadow Green was originally written and released in 2004 and is a flute/piano peice that would fit nicely in your Mum's collection of 'ooh that's nice dear' tunes. Bonamici heard the original and Version 2 is really his take on the track.

Having heard the original, I completely understand why Cam felt moved to include Bonamici in the writing credits. Not only did Ol' Bon take the original idea completely he ran with it into the woods never to be seen again. This artists mastery (please note my italics) of his tools ensures that nothing that emanates from this source is ever likely to disappoint, and it's ever more likely to thrill and inspire you in a way you would never have thought possible. There's a depth and majesty that Bon brings to Meadow Green which turns it from a enjoyable (albeit on a Mom level) instrumental into an epic, world spanning peice with more nooks and crannies (that's detail in Gilmorespeak) than yer average spelunker* weekend. Even more surprising is the fact it all fits in the original tracks running time of two minutes and change, when all the time your ears are telling you this cannot be so. So much in so little?? I'm not sure whether my reaction to this track is more because I've missed Bon's deft touch or because the track is every bit as glorious as I think, but whatever it is, don't you miss this one.

MUST HAVE

*= spelunker - someone who climbs inside rock as opposed to one wot makes it.

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