Inhabiting the sub-genre of world-flavored ambient is Alias Zone, a project from a graphic artist. This explains the highly visual flavor of the music, a swirling mix of ambient, world percussion, and spoken word that calls out to be a soundtrack to a film. Lucid Dreams is a film noir of sound. The mood throughout is dreamy and gloaming, reminiscent of twilight. Samples from multiple languages and instruments from multiple countries make it impossible to tie the music down to a particular time and place. This is one of those albums that is a meaningful journey and I highly recommend it.

The opening track, “Phunque” sets the tone with tribal drums and haunting flute. Then the de facto
title track, “I Have Stopped Dreaming,” lays down an existential beat poem about new perspectives in consciousness set to ethereal electronics and drums. “Sunday 2AM (Driving)" is simple but engaging with flute and light rhythm laid over djembe.

“Towards the Dawn” is the strongest song of the album, an ethereal trip through luminal time and
space. Over a background of a shortwave broadcast of indeterminate language are bass, flute, hand percussion, and a wonderful assortment of samples from electric guitar to rainforest noises. It is a wonderful song to wake up to on my CD/clock/radio; seven minutes of it and I am thoroughly
energized.

The tempo increases with “Dervish” as bass is heavier and the flute more vigorous. “Nayeem”
offers Indian Alaap amidst increasingly strident percussion, electric sitar and synths. The height of the energy curve is reached in the funky “Without a Prayer” funky Malaysian vocals are delightfully tweaked and accompanied by driving synth and bass, with the ever-pleasant flute diving and in and
out.

We cool down with “Dust” and ambient tune that brings back spoken word, this time about a trip to
Morocco. Another very strong track, “The River” is a stirring commentary on American hegemony. We listen first to Lyndon Johnson’s famous speech declaring he will not run for re-election in 1968. Then a Vietnam War veteran speaks derisively of his experiences in the “Asian police action” interspersed with excerpts from an Adlai Stevenson speech on American manifest destiny. The deep irony is wonderfully tied together with the guitar and drum accompaniment we are now very familiar with.

Lucid Dreams is aptly named. It asks to be listened to and meditated to and it gives in return a deep experience of what music can be when it is thoughtful and deeply felt. Anyone into intelligent ambient such as Bill Laswell, Axiom of Choice, Brian Eno, Air, and the like, should definitely experience Lucid Dreams. Let us hope that Alias Zone will grant us another tour through their world soon.

Back to Alias Zone

Back  to Artist Directory