____April, 2006
David
Crews’ Cave of the Jaguar is a journey for the listener through the
inner realms of the spirit via the ebbs and flows of the drifting music that
moves the journey forward from track to track on this release. As David states
in the album notes on his website this CD represents the base storyline of
his shamanic dream that he had while vision questing in the deep deserts of
Utah and New Mexico.
The music at times is rhythmic and dramatic pulling you into the unfolding
story and at times it allows the listener to drift in otherworldly synth washes
in reflection of where they have been. The music also alternates between the
light and airy feeling of floating to the dark realms of deep ambient that
surrounds you but does not oppress you with so many shadows that you lose
your way on the introspective journey.
David states on his website that his earliest influence in the realm of “space
music” was Tangerine Dream circa Phaedra which he was exposed to while
working at a radio station. When TD began to move away from their original
vision this influence in his life was taken over by Steve Roach and the music
that Steve has created over the past quarter of a century. The music that
comprises Cave of the Jaguar indeed bears the marks of these influences and
yet the style is distinctly David’s as well it should be.
I confess that in my past listening habits I have been more than a little
partial to the tribal music of Steve Roach and Byron Metcalf so it comes as
no surprise that two of my favorite songs on this CD are the opening track
called Moving Above It and of course the song called Ritual. Moving Above
It with its repetitive rhythm always present in the background creates the
perfect canvas for the sythns to weave the storyline that begins the journey
inward and away from ordinary consciousness. While this track is not as airy
and drifting as later pieces it is a perfect piece to begin this kind of introspective
journey with and certainly one that bears repeated listenings. At seven minutes
it allows time for the listener to enter into the spirit of the journey and
prepare themselves for the more open and spacey pieces that follow.
Ritual which is further along in the CD again adds a beat but more along the
lines of the beat you might find during shamanic rituals and features a rattle
and other less electronic sounding instruments to offer the listener a sonic
landscape more consistent with sitting around a fire in the desert a meditating
on the dancing flames while moving inward. The synths are there as always
providing the atmosphere to the rattle and the beat and always pointing the
listener to deeper inner realms.
Cave of the Jaguar is a fine effort by David Crews to put into music the feelings
that he experienced during his shamanic dream questing in the deserts of Utah
and New Mexico. This CD falls between drifting space and tribal oriented music
with equal dashes of both during the 52 minute journey that this CD takes
you on. There was a certain cinematic feel to a couple of the songs most notably
A Place Within which reminded me of the music from the movie The Abyss when
Ed Harris had reached the aliens below and was moved by the communications
he had been having with his wife while falling into the abyss on his one way
journey. Light and positive and very much a song that takes you to a place
inside. All in all this is a CD that would make a great addition to your ambient
library of music and one that I would recommend.
Reviewed by Michael Foster for Ambient
Visions
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