Morpheus Music's Blog Review

Neoclassical, melodic ambient.

Journey's End is a gentle, engrossing album that takes the listener through a range of appealing instrumental vistas. Opening with a drifting arrangement of warm ambient, beatless drone and texture, the album progresses via some delicate piano pieces into rhythmic sections with keening electric guitar and ponderous pace, onward via a section where the music takes on more of a 'new age' or ethereal electronic nature with subdued choral voices to the acoustic guitar and vibes lounge sound of the penultimate 5 Years before winding down with the classically oriented strings and piano of the emotive title track. For me the most poignant pieces are the wistful, meandering Wax Branches where beautifully fragile piano lines take the lead over airy synthetic washes and the equally reflective Reaching Out, where the electronic soundscaping is a little more prominent, suggestive of heavenly light and weightless reverie, once more with sensitive, melancholy piano phrases pulling at the heart.

ARTWORK
Journey's End arrives in a jewel case with a glossy single sheet insert. The front cover image is centred on the intricate silhouette of a tree against a night sky, a matching shadow cast onto the immediate foreground. This bedarkened scene has the viewer peering into the image looking for hidden detail and enjoying the obscurity of the natural forms. Track titles are on the rear, each with running time alongside; relevant websites are also listed here. The flip side of the insert provides a paragraph on Howard Ferré himself and another introducing the Journey's End. A repeat of the tracklist and relevant credits lie further down the sheet.

OVERALL
Howard Ferré describes himself as a Neoclassical / Ambient composer who has been prolific in creating original music and sound for the theatre for over 25 years. This debut album sees the artist crafting a touching listening experience that is aptly named; the shifting tenor of the music indeed transports the audience both emotionally and musically. The nine tracks here have a fine balance between melodic subtlety and thematic beauty, for the most part hanging back in tasteful restraint; rewarding to focus on fully or to leave floating in the background. The Ferrestudios.com website provides more general background on Ferré's musical activities and the Howardferremusic.com concentrates on his personal projects such as this. The album is available at Amazon and iTunes if you'd like to try some samples before buying.

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