Leaving Terra Firma

Reviewed By  Janet Mawdesley       August 16, 2018

 

Artist – Stephen Peppos   

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           Released:             May 2018

           Running Time:    68:15secs

           Website:    https://stephenpeppos.bandcamp.com          

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Delicate, drifting sound reaches out and wraps around in the 5th album from Stephen Peppos, his first in the field of ambient music, a step away from his usual style.  Ambient music is a genre that is fast becoming a popular mainstream choice with a wide and varied selection, from chill-out to relaxation therapy and simply just the pure enjoyment of music that is not meant to challenge, but to enjoy for the tonal qualities and relaxation benefits that always seems to accompany such creative music.

At a young age Peppos was influenced by the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, The Beatles and as he grew up a strong love of the Jazz genre, which after setting up a 4 track recording studio in his parents’ garage encouraged him to make the world of music his choice of career.

Over the many years he has earned respect for his talent which has seen him establish a 2000 track original music library, compose for marketing, theatre film as well as his ability as a sound engineer.

In Leaving Terra Firma he has created an album that encompasses much of his talent in the sound recording fields as the music is vast and varied, commencing with the dreamy title track Leaving Terra Firma  that leads you gently into the world of space, endless, mysterious and beautiful.

As the work unfolds so too does the ambience, with lovely tracks such as Praesenti Animi, followed by Amour Dei a little more upbeat melody offering a complete change of pace, although remaining in harmony with the essence of the music. The voice of Seay is used to create a peaceful chant reminiscent of the Offertories of the Gregorian chant or Cantare.

Simply reading the track names with titles such as Magnetic fields, Vita Secundom Vita and Sea of Joy takes the idea of a voyage through space into the unknown and makes it a reality. To See introduces, via the magic of electronics, a harp like sound which adds a delicate element to this peaceful composition

The twelve track album has final track hidden away rounding out the completeness of a beautiful work, which presents a definite end note to a work which is delightful and relaxing.