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Glimpses is the second album to be released on the Real
Music label from The Haiku Project who is actually Danish musician Henrik
Hytteballe. Glimpses is a 12 song 70-minute peaceful journey that offers up a
varied sound palette that is both relaxing and still able to hold the
listener’s attention as it weaves a most thoughtful sonic space through well
written and produced music. On his Real Music bio page Henrik says that he is
never satisfied when he writes music with accompanying vocals as he would
rather paint his feelings and emotions through his music alone allowing that to
convey those things that vocals would never be able to do justice to. Glimpses
is Henrik’s way of offering listeners a chance to understand the passions
behind the music that he evidently loves composing and sharing with others
through these releases. There is not enough time in the world to compose music
that would even come close to capturing the complex sensations that are felt
during our lifetimes but perhaps through music you might be able to offer
“glimpses” into that vast storehouse of impressions that we all store deep down
inside.
The 12 songs on this album have a variety of names that
seems to speak to the title of this release as the listener journeys with The
Haiku Project through a landscape that comes from the heart and soul of the
composer. While the keyboard plays an important part of the compositions that
make up this album it is also layered with strings and an ambient synth background
that gives the paint that is the piano a surface on which to create the images
that Henrik evokes so well through his deft touch on the keyboard. A wonderful example of this would be the song
called Dreaming that with its 12-minute length allows Henrik a chance to
journey through the landscape of sleep on a leisurely trip that gives the
listener ample time to appreciate the soundscape that he creates with his piano
and a chance to contemplate for themselves the world that opens up to those who
sleep and dream.
Another favorite song from this release that I found myself
being drawn back to again and again was the composition Angels Are Watching
which comes towards the end of the album but is one that the listener should
not overlook. While the music, the synths and the sounds that comprise this
composition are all rather haunting and mysterious the listener will be able to
feel the waves of emotional energy that pours out of this song. There is a
creative strength that you can feel throughout this piece that shows the
compositional abilities that Henrik called upon as he wrote and recorded this
song. With a title like Angels Are Watching the song delivers a mood of
reflection that is worthy of the subject matter.
Other standout tracks include Where is My Horse which closes
out the album and a song called Gullfoss which even though it is the shortest
track on the album is nonetheless a delightful song that doesn’t feature the
piano but rather focuses on the synths to create a wonderfully light and airy
song that is simply enchanting. Glimpses is a great way to spend an hour or so
allowing the music to take away a little bit of the edge that you come home
with after a stressful day at work. It was apparent that Henrik aka The Haiku
Project is a talented individual and was able to pour his feelings and emotions
into these 12 songs that he has released on this album. The sound quality
throughout is impeccable and the production standards are as usual for Real
Music releases top notch.
Reviewed by Ambient Visions
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