Review Summary: “When I admire the wonders of the sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator.”
For eons life has always looked to the skies for answers and the unknown. The seemingly never ending pattern of the sun and moon rising to replace each other is a reciprocating motion that marks more than just time for mankind, but life and death as well. For the sun illuminates the land on which food is grown, rejuvenates us with the reproduction of vitamin d through our skin and sheds light on our surroundings for us to be able to accomplish anything. But too much sun can cause drastic problems for life and that is why the moon must replace it to stop the sun before too much damage is done and vice versa. This repetition is spiritual too many as numerous religions have been shaped around the dance the sun and moon perform every twenty four hours around this earth. Many felt by worshipping the sun and moon this cycle would continue for life to steadily progress and that sacrifices must be made in order to keep this good fortune coming. But science had a differing opinion.
Religion has forever battled with scientific discoveries made by numerous sciences as time and time again the ancient texts were rebuked by scientists across the world. Still to this day many still argue over the evolution of mankind, the truth about whether there is a god, and the passage of time into the afterlife. For no matter what your belief lies though the idea of spirituality does not mean that necessarily you are ignorant of science. For spirituality is something more than just worshipping a god or following a religion, it is a transcendent moment that can happen to non-believers as well. The rising of the sun and moon can be one of those moments for many to although for many it can be seen as a negligent and typical event in their life. But to watch them rise and set can be a magical moment that encapsulates sanctity for anybody reluctant enough to see such a joyous cycle no matter if you thought beliefs lie with that of religion or science it is always a spiritual intervention for the viewer. The sound of this moment is captured here in this record Evening Star in five acts that complete the cycle in the most virtuous of ways.
Act I: Wind on Water: The opening waves of euphoric noise on the first track set the stage for the first visual of the album. Which is that of lying there near the ocean, watching as the sun rises slightly above the waves casting rays of light across it illuminating all the life below in the crystal sea. As it progresses the sun rises from small rays to taking shape as the shoreline becomes more visible and the sand beneath you begins to warm. Small creatures scuttle across the sand from their burrows, seagulls begin to fly out in the light of day, and seals head out so sea to find breakfast for their pups. The music is more than just an accompaniment of this it is what takes you to this special setting that is out of reach from you. But with the power of it the visual in your mind is so far engraved that it becomes almost like the illusion of an oasis in a desert until it slowly fades away into the next track.
Act II: Evening Star: As the water evaporates from your mind you are left in the desert alone on the hot sand. It is evening time as the sun is now setting slowly from its perch as the ruler of the sky to be replaced by the moon. The sound of the guitars are the perfect accompaniment to this as off in the distance a caravan crosses a ridge unaware of what lays ahead of them, but you know they are euphoric that the temperature will plunge into a coolness more suitable for their weary travel. The stars begin to rise as another guitar joins in, but only slowly as the sun has no yet set creating one of the most beautiful images you have ever seen outside of a painting. You realize how much art has been inspired by the world around you and find solace, hope and pride in your being here in this barren wasteland that may very well be still one of the most beautiful places on earth. As the piano comes in, the sun begins to subside as its light is drowned by the moon. Here your mind is illuminated to the beauty of the night sky and you think about how small you are compared to the universe, but how important the realization is to you in the fact that you understand that their is beauty in the world outside of your computer screen.
Act III: Evensong: The cold ebbs more as it becomes more visible to your skin but never bitter or harsh. The twilight is now above you as you lay still beneath the stars in a blanket of snow beneath you. You watch as the aurora borealis is one of the most beautiful moments you have ever seen as it helps you forget the winter wasteland you now lay in. These northern lights for that brief moment in time bring back to light the science of this as you ponder more in depth at the beauty of this as the protons collide with earth’s atmosphere. You think about how long this has been happening and how perhaps people used to look at these lights and think that it had to do with their gods, but this pondering leads to no answers as your mind, caught in a wave of consternation at the visual of the lights does not have time to fully elucidate upon the subject as it slips away almost too soon.
Act IV: Wind on Wind: You slip into a silence that finds you were you once began as the morning sun comes back to you. It comes back to you though in a jungle canyon as you watch water fall down to the stream flowing through, as you lie on the small sliver of land down their. The hot humid winds blow above you colliding together sending jets of warm ear spiraling around and toward you. Like an amphibian you begin to rise as the warmth of it all gives you the strength to move yourself but also to articulate thoughts on what is going on around you. It is oddly quiet although you know wildlife is all around you as you look at the green trees, moss and plants all began to blossom and take shape. The sun and moons dance has come full circle now. You understand how important both of these are to the world and how their is something some mystical about this that your mind does not even bother trying to justify what is seen, all you know that what you see is something miraculous, that will ream with you like forever like the memory of a loved one.
Act V: An Index of Metals: In a mere moment though everything around you goes black. Its like you have finally died and now there is nothing to do but lie there in eternal sleep forever. But just as you close your eyes a ringing begins and slowly builds up, reminding you that perhaps you are not really dead and instead are having a reawakening. You ponder this as now your thoughts go back to that of the sun and moon which are now not visible o your eyes. You reach out to see if your eyes are merely playing tricks on you to feel the world around you, but there is nothing. Where are you? Where have you been? Where will you go? A signal comes as you hear the sound of a guitar join in with the keyboards. It sounds like the wind. As if it was howling for you to move to the west. You stand up and creep forward as more abstract instruments join in. As you walk streams of light flutter through the room assiduously but rapidly. This shows you the way to a standing small bowl of water at the outskirts of the dark area you are now in. The sounds slow down as you come to the wall as flashes of evolution, religion, science and matter are projected onto the cell walls of your mind. You lie down in a state of paranoia that you will never return to the world where you come from. Then a ray of light flashes and shows a bit of caesium in front of you. You drop it in as the drones slowly ebb on until the guitar fades away as you drop it sending you like shattered glass out of the room. Only the sound of the rumbling drones remain as all has gone white. It all quiets down as you regain consciousness in your room and open your eyes for what feels like the first time.
Lying there now you your mind is now able to finally regain a full train of thought as you look out and see the sun setting and the moon rising. For although your soundtrack has faded from being audible the visual of it is beautiful and you know that it should be cherished. But how though? Should you worship it or learn to understand the phenomenon behind it. Whatever way you find more comfortable is your choice as the duality of religion and science will always remain as long as both are there. But who is to say either one is more right than the other. For no matter which path you decide to choose there will always be flaws on both sides. For as long as you can continue to do what you know is right your universe will always remain in balance.
