Indra - Ocean Of Silence (2005)

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Indra - Ocean Of Silence (2005)

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Yet another re-released album from Indra's back catalogue is Ocean of Silence. This one is a departure from his more usual upbeat Jarre/Vangelis like offerings. Instead it takes the listener on a peaceful journey through meditative landscapes of the mind. As usual there are plenty of synthesiser sounds, with the addition of piano.

First up is the longest track "Choralia" clocking in at nearly twenty three minutes. Gentle pings falling like synthetic raindrops open up to bright tinkles and washes. Even at this early stage there's something wonderfully otherworldly, but not alien, about the atmosphere Indra is creating. Sparse lonely piano notes come in for a short time before a percolating sequence starts to gradually build up. Dull notes, later augmented by a nonchalant percussive rhythm form the sequence as occasional piano, shiny effects, and washes carry the listener along on a musical astral plane.

The next piece "Floating Stars" is delightful. Birdsong starts off and is soon replaced by gentle celestial humming. A combination of almost melodic piano, ebbing and flowing wave effects, and ghostly washes create a musical vision of sitting on a beach at nighttime looking at the stars and losing oneself in a contemplation of our tiny place in a vast universe.

Bringing the album to a conclusion is "Morning Light". Layers of reverbing chords make this a somewhat dramatic piece, putting me in mind of Shaped Signs's track "Aurora" on Nature's Odyssey. Indra goes for a more restrained approach though, managing to convey the majesty of dawn's new light with yearning and hopeful refrains. Skirting between spacemusic and melodic new age this is my favourite track on the album.

Ocean of Silence has quickly become one of my favourite relaxation albums. Its traditional EM motifs performed in a calm way make a change from the more textured ambient style of many artists who create relaxing works.