![[Sirens]](kenneth.gif)
I might as well preface this by saying that Kenneth Newby would have to
change his style pretty dramatically for me not to like anything
he releases. If you've been looking for a more organic side to your
ambient music, or if you're simply a fan of well-constructed exotic
soundscapes, Sirens will get your wind-chimes jangling. Newby's
compositions are rich, vivid aural pictures, conjuring images of a
twilight world that's half ancient, awe-inspiring culture and half
technoGaian wilderness. These are sense-stirring pieces, built from
low, sustained tones, exotic wind instruments (and samples thereof),
spoken passages, ambient "nature" sounds and a whole host of
otherworldly bits spawned by instruments I couldn't name. The results
are beautiful, but such is their depth that the listener is reminded of
his/her relatively insignificant place in the massive, ancient cultural
gestalt of human history. In other words, you can wind up feeling very
small after listening to "Luna", "Eileithyia" (featuring the
inimitable Stephen Kent on didgeridoo) and "Fathom" (in which a chorus
of frogs join the mix). "Sirens ii" and "Infinite", on the other hand,
serve as telling reminders of just what an alien place the world can be,
filled with strange and wonderful sights and experiences. "Mistress"
ends the disc with a word/music composition that will please those who
enjoyed Terence McKenna's collaboration with Space Time Continuum --
it's a bit less campy, though. If you've gone too long without having
your Western cultural bias soundly tweaked, Sirens will reward
you with an enjoyable fifty minutes of sonic paradigm-shifting. --
george zahora