Hans Joachim Roedelius was a founding member of the German electronic band Cluster in the early 1970s. In the intervening years he's also produced innumerable solo albums ranging from refined chamber music to unmitigated e... more »xperiments. Tim Story is a disciple of Roedelius who has forged his own ambient chamber sound for two decades. They've been working together for the last few years and Lunz, named for a lake in Austria, is the most recent poetic result. It's a sensual, liquid sound that merges classical influences along with electronic ambiences and a gift for melody that would leave Erik Satie crying. There are many pseudo-classical new age artists who use these same elements to create easy listening music. Story and Roedelius skip past sentiment and go straight for the jugular with melodies that emerge like forgotten, and sometimes troubling, memories. The mix of acoustic piano, cello, and an original electronic palette adds both atmosphere and edge, giving Lunz an emotional resonance that runs deep. When the cello and electronics double each other on the title track like a distant wail, the effect is devastating. --John Diliberto« less
Hans Joachim Roedelius was a founding member of the German electronic band Cluster in the early 1970s. In the intervening years he's also produced innumerable solo albums ranging from refined chamber music to unmitigated experiments. Tim Story is a disciple of Roedelius who has forged his own ambient chamber sound for two decades. They've been working together for the last few years and Lunz, named for a lake in Austria, is the most recent poetic result. It's a sensual, liquid sound that merges classical influences along with electronic ambiences and a gift for melody that would leave Erik Satie crying. There are many pseudo-classical new age artists who use these same elements to create easy listening music. Story and Roedelius skip past sentiment and go straight for the jugular with melodies that emerge like forgotten, and sometimes troubling, memories. The mix of acoustic piano, cello, and an original electronic palette adds both atmosphere and edge, giving Lunz an emotional resonance that runs deep. When the cello and electronics double each other on the title track like a distant wail, the effect is devastating. --John Diliberto
"Having worked with Tim on several projects, I must admit that his work with Hans-Joachim Roedelius is rather stunning; even some what more interesting then our output to date.
Lunz is a fine collection of 12 suspense filled, angular pieces. There are plenty of wistful moments as well as out right beautiful pieces. This collection of music is full of form and ambiguity. I highly recommend this CD, whether you are a Tim Story fan, a devotee of Cluster, or Roedelius' solo work.
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This album is where you go when you've heard everything.
J. J. Cullup | Bay Area, CA | 11/29/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album is fantastic. Most of us tire from the cookie-cutter music that is out nowadays, and this album is such a departure from that that its refreshing and soothing. Sometimes we just want to listen to "pure" music, no vocal accompaniment; to give us a chance to focus on the message of the MUSIC not the lyrics. I've listened to Tim Story ever since Search for Angels, and have bought Beguiled and The Perfect Flaw. Both of these are fantastic albums, but the addition of Roedelius and his electronic mastery make this album come out on top. If at first you listen to the album and think that it's "haunting," think again. Listen again. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed."
An Enjoyable and Original CD With a Distinct Sound
S. Cairns | Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, United Kingdom | 01/01/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Attracted by favourable reviews of this album, I was nevertheless, somewhat apprehensive as to whether this album would appeal. I need not have worried.
I find the music on this CD very difficult to describe. I guess piano with added electronic effects sums it up. The nearest composer to compare the music on this disc to that I am familiar with is Patrick O'Hearn.
The album has a sort of raw quality about it. The piano, far from being crisp and sharp, has a distant feel to it. The music for the most part is very engaging, and I particularly enjoyed Tracks 1 and 4. It is indeed very pleasant when the cello joins the piano on the opening track.
I've seen the accompanying video for Track 4 on television, and it is very surreal. The two compliment each other very well.
Certainly different from my normal musical diet, I enjoyed the experience nonetheless, and I recommend this to nay music lover who wants to try something a little bit different. I'm confident existing fans of Tim Story will lap this up.
Worth checking out."
Melancholia Profundis!
Brad Torgersen | Seattle, WA, USA | 08/02/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Getting Hans Joachim Roedelius and Tim Story together on the same album is an irresistable invitation to the haunting reaches of the soul. Either artist by himself is a master of the fallen leaf, the chilled wind, the autumnal landscapes of the imagination. But together? I'm not sure if I can accurately describe this album in terms which do it justice.
I could go on and on. Suffice to say that the piano work, guitar work, and other instrumentation is superbly crafted and executed in a flowing, languid style that recalls the past albums of both authors, while being singularly significant in its own right. Fans of both artists ought to be pleased by this album, and I was just dumbstruck by the aural beauty presented here; a beauty which seems to grow every time I give this disc a spin, especially during those quiet moments when I need to wander back through the dusty reaches of my life, seeking wisdom, or remembrance for its own sake.
Excellent, excellent. Grab your headphones, a hot cup of something enjoyable, pull up a comfortable chair at the window, and watch the rain and leaves tumble by in solitude."
A Different Mood
Paul B. Stott | Pleasant Grove, Utah United States | 08/28/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Like a certain mood of a good friend that you prefer over another mood he or she may have, so goes the music of Tim Story. I loved the mood of Shadowplay, Beguiled and Perfect Flaw ; liked the mood of Three Feet From the Moon, I also like the mood of Lunz, but prefer Shadowplay ect.. There are a couple of tracks that the influence of Hans Roedelius overshadows and in my opinion distracts from Tim's music. If you're a real fan of Tim Story, you'll like this CD. I like it more each time I listen to it. Lunz wouldn't be my first suggestion for the first time listener."