Album Review: Southern Cross by Jim Ottaway

Southern Cross is the follow-up to electronic music composer Jim Ottaway’s highly energetic Invisible Vortex album. Named for a distinctive constellation in the Southern Hemisphere, Southern Cross is Jim’s first intrinsically ambient-space album since Liquid Moon, which was originally released in Australia in 2011, and later internationally in 2014. Comprised of six tracks spanning seventy minutes total, the album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Jim, as well as lovingly dedicated to the memory of his mother Madge who passed away in 2015.

“Alpha Crucis” opens the album with a rumbling vibration, followed by expansive chords and a rainstick-type sound, which frequently returns throughout the compositions. Imparting an immediate sense of deep space exploration, it’s fourteen minutes and twenty seconds of pure atmospheric bliss. Alluringly arcane, this mood is carried into “Beta Crucis”, where swirling chimes mimic a galaxy filled with twinkling stars. Moving into the darkest piece, “Gamma Crucis”, linear time seems to dissolve and physical distance is no longer a barrier to the furthest reaches of space. This especially noteworthy piece is permeated by a wonderfully eerie creepiness that’s filled with the sounds of deep drones, ghostly voices, alien signals and glowing pulsars. More traces of light shine through the vast darkness on “Delta Crucis”, as if drifting among a meteor shower – before giving way to “Epsilon Crucis”, the album’s warmest, most ethereal composition. Closing out the album is the phenomenal “Southern Cross (Timeless Motion)”, with its rhythmic pulse beaming like a quasar amidst swirling chimes and a melodious drone, before dissipating into a sea of stardust.

Sitting at the meeting point of both pure ambient and classic space music, Southern Cross is easily Jim’s most groundbreaking album to date. I frequently had to remind myself that the many otherworldly sounds herein were actually coming from a recording studio and not some distant location of the galaxy, thanks to the impressive array of state-of-the-art recording equipment and software detailed in the liner notes. An especially rewarding headphone experience, Southern Cross is a must-have album for both fans of ambient-space music and astronomy enthusiasts! ~Candice Michelle

Available at Amazon, Bandcamp and other music retailers. For more information, please visit the artist's website. 

Album Review: Interstellar Love by Darren Rogers

Darren Rogers’ album Interstellar Love is based upon a theme of two soulmates in search of one another as they behold the celestial night sky. Consisting of seven compositions spanning fifty-two minutes, the album explores the hidden depths and desires of the heart – and how it potentially relates to a greater cosmic design.

The title track opens the album and is just over ten minutes long. Cosmic winds and unintelligible muffled voices allude to a petitioning of the heavens, as if being carried into outer-space. Deeply immersive tones and swirling timbres further lend themselves to the piece’s defined sense of mystery. “Wavering” follows next and opens with a Duduk – an ancient woodwind flute indigenous to Armenia. A sensual yet somewhat forlorn melody is carried by the instrument, as it mesmerizingly enhances the expansive, spacey ambience of the composition. “Passion”, the album’s middle piece, is possibly my favorite – perfectly exemplifying how the depths of one’s own heart can seem as unknown and limitless as the universe itself. Like signals of extrasolar communication being transmitted throughout space, they eventually give way to faintly pounding drums as if emanating from a cosmic heartbeat, before gently leading out to the sound of a distant siren’s call. Also noteworthy is “The Love Inside”, with its shimmering celestial tones that glide upon a peculiar muffled distortion, perhaps to mimic that of a radio signal attempting to come through. “Looking to the Stars” closes out the album, characterized by softly rising tones and slowly rotating effects. As if to conclude with a question rather than an answer – will these two destined souls ever find one another in this lifetime?

A classic ambient-space album with a passionate theme, Interstellar Love beckons the listener to simply close their eyes and envision the reality of their heart’s truest desires. Darren has captured a mood that will likely appeal to anyone who especially enjoys Jonn Serrie’s more romance-tinged space music. A uniquely impressive album, Interstellar Love is permeated by a beautiful darkness that’s wrapped in a dream of idyllic love. ~Candice Michelle



Available at Amazon and Bandcamp.

Album Review: Ambient Highways by Keith Richie

Review by Candice Michelle

Few things are as delightful as when a truly remarkable ambient-electronic album crosses my path, and listening to Keith Richie’s Ambient Highways is about as sublime as it gets. Visually interpreted by what just may be the coolest album artwork I’ve seen in a while, Ambient Highways takes the listener on a fascinating voyage from start to finish. Although not derivative, notable comparisons can be drawn to Tangerine Dream, Christopher Franke, John Carpenter, Vangelis and Carbon Based Lifeforms, all of whom Keith cites as musical influences.

Like laser and neon lights flickering and racing across the dark, "Neutrino” opens the album with bubbling sequencers, lush chords, intricately layered textures, and sparse piano sounds. Driven by pensive emotion, this melodically dynamic piece is nonetheless definitively ambient. The mood continues into “V Feeling”, a piece that begins with harp-like strings, followed by vintage and modern instruments, some of which move to the forefront while others remain in the background. Next is the breathtaking “Xenogeneis”, which beautifully unfolds like a spiraling galaxy. This piece in particular exemplifies the album’s overall lonesome, observational quality of being one small person in not just a big world – but a limitless, unknown universe – a sensation that is conveyed throughout. Although it’s nearly impossible to pick a favorite, “Weeping Angels” is especially noteworthy; its title possibly referring to the “Dr. Who” series. However, unlike the Weeping Angels of the popular science-fiction television show, there is nothing terrifying about this piece – although haunting it certainly is! Beginning with a windy drone that gives way to emotionally-stirring chord progressions and a melody reminiscent of a cosmic lullaby, the composition feels like an arrival of sorts. The slightly faster-paced “Keeping the Dream Alive” concludes the album, characterized by gurgling angelic voices and alternating sequencers. An optimistic feeling of moving towards a new destination is conveyed, like catching the first glimpse of early-morning sunlight.

Nestled perfectly in-between sequencer-based electronic and atmospheric space music, Ambient Highways is an exemplary display of just how alive and emotionally-riveting electronic music can be. Although possessing a pronounced cinematic quality throughout, the compositions never become overwrought, instead maintaining a contemplative ambience and ever-present melancholy. An amazing headphone experience that transpires like a personal sojourn of self-reflection and external wonder, Ambient Highways has quickly become a personal favorite of mine. This album is an absolute must-have for fans of ambient, classic electronic, modern electronica and soundtrack music!

~Candice Michelle for Journeyscapes 

For more information please visit the artist's website. Ambient Highways is also available at Bandcamp, Amazon, iTunes and more.

Album Review: Invisible Vortex by Jim Ottaway

Jim Ottaway is an electronic music composer from Australia, whose album Invisible Vortex was created using an impressive array of electronic music gear and equipment, including several different keyboards and synthesizers. Dedicated in part to the memory of Tangerine Dream founder, Edgar Froese (1944-2015), notable influences of musical styles spanning several decades are evident, in particular, 80s-era European electronic music, 90s-era trance-techno, modern electronica, chill-out and a touch of progressive rock.

The highly energetic “Come Dance with Me” opens the album with a trance-techno dance-floor beat, digital bleeps and scratchy sounds, as the listener embarks on an interstellar voyage through space and time. “Alien Cries” follows next, which is characterized by a pronounced bassline and an electronic rock rhythm. Finally giving way to what is perhaps the album’s pinnacle, is a track called “Takin’ the Time”. Featuring Rick Fenn of the 70s-era British rock group 10cc on guitar, this incredible piece evokes the wonders of the universe, with its intergalactic, otherworldly tone, which is conveyed by swirling chimes, voice-like effects, and a potent driving rhythm. Right from the opening sequencers on “Just Another Dream”, which is a lighter trance-techno track, I could detect the nod to Tangerine Dream; perhaps not surprising, since the piece is a glowing tribute to the band’s soundtracks for "Risky Business", "Thief" and "Sorcerer". “Call for Peace" is another favorite, a slower piece led by a pronounced staccato down-beat and alternating hazy, distorted effects. A bonus ‘Chill Out Mix’ of the same tune closes out the album, clocking in at a full eleven minutes and twenty seconds. This slower-paced alternate version is equably carried along by a muffled breakbeat, until it eventually drifts away into oblivion.

Jim Ottaway has done a stellar job of connecting the past with the future on Invisible Vortex, by combining the sensibilities of both vintage and modern electronic music. The compositions herein explore the limitless bounds of space and time, sending the listener soaring above the stratosphere and cruising into the cosmos. The highly outgoing, dynamic and active nature of this album makes for a thoroughly rewarding sonic adventure, which will certainly appeal to electronic music enthusiasts who enjoy aural concepts exploring science fiction and retro-futuristic worlds. ~Candice Michelle

Available at Amazon, Bandcamp and other music retailers. For more information, please visit the artist's website.

Album Review: Dark Sky Island by Enya

Following a seven year hiatus since her 2008 album, And Winter Came, Enya returns with the long-waited, Dark Sky Island, which is named after the island of Sark in the English channel where the absence of light pollution allows for naked-eye astronomy. As if to pick up where she left off twenty years prior, I can honestly say this is easily the best album the beloved Irish singer has put forth since The Memory of Trees. In fact, it’s a rather stunning return to the formulaic sounds and concepts of her most seminal works, Watermark and Shepherd Moons, yet it’s also freshly modern and musically evolved. The many shades of mystique are back, conveying a perfect balance of light and shadow, as are the lush orchestrations, enveloping, cathedral-like atmospheres, and Enya’s ever-captivating multi-layered vocals, each having been recorded separately and then stacked upon another to mimic a choir of hundreds.



Powerful, energetic songs with marching rhythms and soaring choirs like those on the “The Humming” and “Even in the Shadows”, contrast with more tender, melancholy pieces like “I Could Never Say Goodbye” and “Dark Sky Island”. Themes of lost love often revisit the album, conveyed by poetically beautiful lyrics that are wrapped in enchantment and innocent wonder. Favorite songs include “So I Could Find My Way Home,” a piece dedicated to producer Nicky Ryan’s late mother. Reverent and hymn-like, this deeply touching song could tug at the heartstrings of even the least sentimental listener. The more buoyant and sparkly, “Sancta Maria”, is another particular favorite that is led by a harpsichord and heavenly choir. Also equally notable is the distinctly Celtic-flavored “The Loxian Gates", which Enya sings in Loxian - an elvish-like language and alphabet created by lyricist Roma Ryan. Majestic and magical sounding, it brings to mind images of scenic Ireland, its pastoral lands and ancient castles. “Pale Grass Blue” is one of three bonus tracks included on the deluxe version of the album and makes getting this edition worth it alone. A moderately-paced tune that is highly reminiscent of Enya’s classic hit, “Caribbean Blue”, it features one of the most lovely, haunting melodies on the album, which seems to convey the passing of time, changing seasons and colorful leaves dancing in the wind.



There is simply little doubt that Enya is the gold standard when it comes to ethereal perfection, and although I felt her later efforts overall lacked the magic of her earlier works, I am pleased to say that Dark Sky Island is undoubtedly classic Enya in every sense. While immersed in these spellbinding compositions, I was reminded at every twist and turn why I originally fell in love with her music once upon a time. ~Candice Michelle

For more information please visit the artist's website. This album is also available at Amazon and iTunes. 

Review: Urban Metta by Anaamaly

Urban Metta, Vol. 1 is the debut album by Anaamaly (pronounced “uh-nom-uh-lee), the alias of electronic music composer Phil Strickland. Featuring eleven tracks that are titled after different affirmations, it is a deeply relaxing electronic album with many organic elements. Peaceful, subtle melodies drift in and out over a bed of droning bass lines, washes of synths, and many unidentifiable or muted sounds throughout that seem to mimic nature. A notable feature of the compositions is its balanced incorporation of lower musical tones, which lends to an overall more grounded feel, whereas a lot of new age or ‘spa’ music is largely dominated by higher musical tones that can often result in an overly saccharine sound. This pleasing quality may be due to Phil Strickland’s musical background in chillout, downtempo and instrumental hip-hop.

Conveyed throughout the album is a feeling of being submerged in a watery abode, as rays of light peer through obscurity. Lots of subtle, intricate textures move about in a relatively compact space, as opposed to an expanse or open terrain, and the compositions seem to explore inner rather than outer worlds. Favorite tracks include “I Walk Through Fire”, with its slow transitions of contrasting crystalline textures and distorted effects; the lighter, more gossamer “I Embrace All Wisdom”; and “I Love Unconditionally”, with its sparse, gurgled melody and voice-like effects throughout. The closing track, “I Am Healed on All Levels”, is appropriately, also the brightest piece, as if the listener is rising to the surface while being imbued with a sense of hope and lightness.

Although Urban Metta, Vol 1 is certainly recommended for relaxation and spa therapies, it boasts enough aural intricacies to serve as an equally rewarding listening experience on headphones. I look forward to hearing other outputs from this diverse musical composer, including what will presumably be a second installment of the Urban Metta experience. ~Candice Michelle

Available from Bandcamp, Amazon and other music retailer & streaming platforms.

Album Review: Celtic Fairy Lullaby by 2002

Celtic Fairy Lullaby is the follow-up to 2002’s landmark album Trail of Dreams, and once again showcases the angelic voice of Sarah Copus (daughter of 2002 husband and wife team Randy and Pamela Copus). While many listeners could easily mistake this for Enya, 2002 have their own signature sound, although similarities to the Irish singer are probably more pronounced than ever given the Celtic bent of this album, with lyrics sung in Gaelic, Welsh and English. Pure magnificent beauty seems to be the primary objective of 2002’s music, for every track on the album sparkles and shines. A pristine arrangement of both electronic and acoustic instruments is present here, with Randy on keyboards, piano, bass and guitar, and Pamela on flute and harp. Sarah provides both lead and back-up vocals as well as additional harp.

The old Irish lullaby “Seoithín Seo Hó / Gartan Mother’s Lullaby” opens the album like the soundtrack to a fairytale, with chorale washes, sweeping chimes and a cinematic quality that defines much of the music throughout. The overall sound is at once light and sweet yet richly majestic. “Cariad”, meaning “darling” in Welsh, is a beautiful ballad as well as perhaps my favorite song on the album. Led by gentle harp and vocals that are complimented by exquisite harmonizing, the piece conveys a hazy, mysterious quality. Two instrumental tracks are present on the album, of which include “Éamonn an Chnoic”, a piece based on a Robin Hood type figure of Irish history, along with the soothingly tranquil “My Singing Bird”. The album perfectly concludes with a traditional Irish song sung on May Day titled “Thugamar Féin an Samhradh Linn”, albeit presented in 2002’s signature style, of course.


Celtic Fairy Lullaby just might be 2002’s most impressive accomplishment to date. While even the most ethereal of Celtic music tends to retain a certain folksy, earthy quality, 2002 essentially stays in their airier element while lulling its listeners into a magical, dreamlike world of beauty and innocence. ~Candice Michelle

Available at Amazon and other retail & streaming platforms. For more information please visit the artist's website.

PGM 067: HEART MUSINGS 2

A special Valentine’s Day mix inspired by love, longing & the mystery of fate.

No. ARTIST – TRACK
01. Chris Wonderful – I Love You
02. Jonn Serrie – Lovers in Motion
03. Bliss – Highlander's Heart
04. Jean Mare – Good Girl's Heart
05. Paul Avgerinos – In Your Arms
06. Moodswings ft. Julee Cruise – Seems to Remind Me (of Love)
07. Psicodreamics – Ritual of Love
08. Vangelis – Losing Sleep (Still, My Heart)
09. Laurent Voulzy – The Captain of Her Heart
10. Monica Ramos – Amor Perdido (Lost Love)
11. John Williams – Confluence
12. Elise Lebec – Heart Song avec Cello (ft. David Darling)

Contact Us

For music submissions, please click here. For all other inquiries, please fill out the form below.

Name*:
Phone number:
Email address*:
Comments*:
* - required fields	serviced by 100forms

PGM 052: HAUNTED WORLDS

An otherworldly chillscape for all hallows' eve.

ARTIST – TRACK
01. Llewellyn – Ghost
02. Emer Kenny – Cast a Spell
03. Psicodreamics – Samhain Ecstasy
04. Amethystium – Shadowlands
05. Pacific State – X-Files (Cafe del Mar Chillout Remix)
06. Zero One – Search
07. Radiate – Witchcraft
08. Enigma – The Alchemist's Vision
09. Mark Dwane – Second Oracle
10. Threefold – Samhain

PGM 015: HEART MUSINGS

A special Valentine’s Day mix inspired by love, longing & the mystery of fate.

No. ARTIST – TRACK
01. Paul Avgerinos – A Path with Heart
02. Davol – Necessity of Love
03. Enya – Aníron (I Desire)
04. Vangelis – Come to Me (ft. Caroline Lavelle)
05. Loreena McKennitt – The English Lady and the Knight
06. Bliss – Wish you were here
07. Patrick O'Hearn – Desire
08. Jonn Serrie – Starshower
09. David & Steve Gordon – Heart Chakra Part 1
10. Jeff Pearce – From a Dead Heart
11. Voodoo Warriors of Love – Heart
12. Michael Stearns – Twin Flame
13. Julee Cruise – Falling
14. Johan Agebjörn & Lisa Barra – Love Ray
15. Ishq – Aphrodite