Precious Time | Euphoria | Amazing Breadth, Style and Substance

Precious Time | Euphoria | One hell of an ecclectic mix

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Precious Time

	Precious Time Euphoria Zoe Records, 2006 average customer review:based on 9 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The music Euphoria makes is truly unique: lush, sweeping soundscapes which blend acoustic and slide guitars with modern electronica and trip-hop to create a sound that has been dubbed "guitronica." Euphoria's music has struck a chord with listeners over their first two albums, earning radio chart success and garnering placements in TV commercials for Nissan, Lee Jeans, and Apple (iPod), films such as "Vanilla Sky" and "Hidalgo" and television shows such as "CSI," "Malcolm in the Middle" and "Roswell." The third Euphoria album is the strongest yet, filled with an energized blend of slide guitar and psychedelia as well as stunning vocal tracks featuring Tina Dico (Zero 7) and Tracy Bonham. With this release Euphoria is poised to become a household name among guitar aficionados and electronic music lovers alike.

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Amazing Breadth, Style and Substance

I bought this CD after hearing "Back Against the Wall" on KCRW a few months ago--the nasty guitar riffs set to electronic beats intrigued me. But over time, what has emerged from many listens--and what still stands out for me--is my impression of how rich this record actually is--contributions from Tracy Thorne ("Anyone Can Lose") to Tina Dico (the amazing "Blue"), tracks that traverse very different worlds, the record is quite an amazing blend of style, guitar, and moods--it has very easily made it into my 'Top Five' of 2006, a feat considering how much music passes through my ears annually. It's also a fabulous listen with the top down. Highly recommended!

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One hell of an ecclectic mix

For starters let's just say this. My musical tastes go all over the spectrum. I purchased this CD along with a King Crimson disc from 1982 and once upon a time I wrote jazz and blues reviews for a small, local paper.
So what got me onto Euphoria? I haven't really been listening to the radio for several years now. Just too much junk out there that gets too much airplay. "Bovine bands" I call them. They're good because everyone else says they are. Just like TV - most people really can't think for themselves.
So I'm actually LISTENING to the radio a few weeks ago and hear Back Against the Wall on WXRT out of Chicago. The "bluesy" feel of the song grabs my attention so I get home and check out the samples on Amazon. Wow! 30 second samples and they all sound good! Reckon I gotta get it so I do.
A wonderful CD! Can't say what category you'd put this band into and that's half the beauty. Shades of blues, jazz, country, new age and more.
I'm not big on vocals but Tina Dico and Tracy Bonham lend themselves to the music superbly!
I can't honesly say that I could listen to all of their CDs in a row from what I've heard as it does start to mesh together but the music is VERY refreshing. It IS an excellent change of pace and I hope this band does well without going "commercial". In other words don't go "bovine". This world needs a lot more original bands and there are so few out there.
Close your minds to the "popular" stuff and listen to artists. Who cares what everyone else thinks? After all, if I jumped off a cliff with a "hit" CD in hand would you do the same?
Open your mind to real music. Buy this CD.

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Synths and Blues guitar actually sound pretty good together.

The fundamental song-type from which the album is built is a 3-5 minute instrumental, featuring gritty slide guitar reinforced by heavily-produced drums and a strong synthesized bass line. "Cowboys" is my favorite of these. While this is a really cool sound, one song at a time is enough. It seems that producer Ken Ramm knows this, since two of this type are never placed consecutively on the album.

Among the more varied fare are "The Glendale Train," an acoustic guitar solo, and "The Getaway," which is reminiscent of Massive Attack. "Blue" and "Saints and Sinners," featuring guest-vocalist Tina Dico, and "Anyone Can Lose," featuring guest-vocalist Tracy Bonham, would be at home on Balligomingo's Beneath the Surface or Conjure One's Extraordinary Ways with their electronic foundation and supporting guitars. The title track, "Precious Time" (another Tracy Bonham contribution), would unfortunately fit more comfortably among the song's of Delerium's Poem. The final song, "Vapor", is a long (over ten minutes) atmospheric experiment that reminds me of the Donnie Darko soundtrack, with a synthesizer drone and what I'm guessing is a guitar track played back in reverse. Apparently, "Vapor" is the result of an Brian Eno-style Oblique Strategy session (look that up if you don't know what it means - its an interesting concept).

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It Takes Time

I try not to review cd's right away.
I've owned this one for 3-4 months and re-listened to it, and wonder why I don't put it on more often. The song structures, tones, and overall sound textures make this one the one that needs to be heard through those expensive earphones, ear-buds, or ear monitors that you spent your money on.

Instrumentals and more.

Vocals: two tracks Tina Dico, two tracks Tracy Bonham, eight instrumentals. I guess it's rock with various influences - whatever it is, they do it well. Competent music and musicianship, I can't there's a bad track here. The lack of lyrics is really going to limit interest, but really, is your album collection really complete without an instrumental album?

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