Tribal-ambient maestro Steve Roach leaves the percussion behind and returns to glorious stripped-down form on Midnight Moon. Closer in spirit to albums from the beginning of his career (notably 1984's Structures from Silen... more »ce) and some of the early work of ambient pioneer Harold Budd, Moon sees Roach pick up a new instrument: the guitar. Not surprisingly, he wields it like a keyboard, weaving different sustained tones together to present something soothing yet just unsettling enough to make you pay attention. The instrument's lonely, gently foreboding sound undulates through the disc's 70-plus minutes, evoking a timeless desert landscape captured during the stillness of night. Along with The Magnificent Void, this is undeniably one of Roach's strongest pure-ambient recordings. --Steve Landau« less
Tribal-ambient maestro Steve Roach leaves the percussion behind and returns to glorious stripped-down form on Midnight Moon. Closer in spirit to albums from the beginning of his career (notably 1984's Structures from Silence) and some of the early work of ambient pioneer Harold Budd, Moon sees Roach pick up a new instrument: the guitar. Not surprisingly, he wields it like a keyboard, weaving different sustained tones together to present something soothing yet just unsettling enough to make you pay attention. The instrument's lonely, gently foreboding sound undulates through the disc's 70-plus minutes, evoking a timeless desert landscape captured during the stillness of night. Along with The Magnificent Void, this is undeniably one of Roach's strongest pure-ambient recordings. --Steve Landau
Nigel Funge | Redwood City, California United States | 05/04/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Steve Roach produces yet another brilliant album of sparse ambient beauty. This is a single continuous piece of slow moving gorgeous sounds that evoke the albums title, "Midnight Moon". It's a great CD to listen to on a continuous loop or with other Roach stuff like `Dreamtime Return' (generally considered his masterpiece) or `Atmospheric Conditions'. I find this album wonderful for falling asleep to or for late night listening. Gorgeous."
Ambient by definition
Michael Paulsen | Rancho Santa Margarita, CA USA | 05/30/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Here, Steve Roach has created a tranquil, more meditative album, somewhat reminiscent of his mid-80's releases like "Structures from Silence" and "Quiet Music", however this time it's all done amazingly with guitar, and is considerably more moody and dark. If anything, this album travels through terrain similar to that mapped out by Brian Eno and Harold Budd -- with its slow, reverberating tones, sounding uncannily like Budd's trademark piano effects at times. A nice departure of sorts for Steve that beautifully does its title justice. The ultimate album to drift off to or a soundtrack to camping out in the high desert under the stars and, of course, the moon ... that is, if you can handle the album's darker qualities."
Dreamy, guitar-oriented music from space music pioneer
David B. Spalding | Chromejob-dot-com | 08/10/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Unlike much of Steve Roach's well known work, this album accentuates guitars and dreamy reverie over dark rumblings and spiritual landscapes. It's as evocative and expansive as his best work (DREAMTIME RETURN, WELL OF SOULS, THE MAGNIFICENT VOID among them), but more melodic and gentle. A welcome change of pace from a master of the core ambient, "space music" genre."
Ambient Dreamscapes
Paul Allaer | Cincinnati | 05/25/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I have the "Dreaming...Now, Then" Steve Roach retrospective that came out a few years ago, and was pleasantly surprised with his latest release. I will admit that I only accidentally stumbled upon this album: it was on the listening station at my favorite bookstore and once I started listening to it, I could not pull myself away from it. The album is essentially a 70+ min. oasis of dark, ambient synth-sounding guitar feedbacks. The term "guitar feedback" is not meant to scare you away, because quite frankly if it wasn't for the liner notes explaining that the entire album is made with just guitars, I would not have believed it (and if anything, only demonstrates the wizardry of Steve Roach). The best track is "Broken Town", with a threatening bass vibration that only further dramatizes the sound. Not for everyone (and certainly not for anyone in a hurry), but for those open to the sounds of ambient dreamscapes, this is a winner."
An Essential Ambient CD
Chris Fox | Woodinville, WA USA | 09/11/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Roach has done a lot of superb work but something *really* came together with "Midnight Moon." The title describes the tone perfectly; this is the sound of the late evening, not at all light or New Age. The longest track "Midnight Loom" sets a perfectly defined mood, detachment with an undercurrent of recurring tension. How can I say this? As seagulls are the sound of ocean, "Midnigh Moon" is the sound of the early hours, the sound of solitude and moonlight. If you buy one Roach release, get this one. If two, add "Structures from Silence.""