Fernwood "Arcadia"

Country: USA
Genre(s): Instrumental Acoustic Prog Folk
Format: CD, digital, vinyl
Release date: February 1, 2015
Tracklist: 

1. Bells Spring - 3:44
2. The Pan Chaser - 4:56
3. Vision at Vasquez Rocks - 3:59
4. Red Hill Trail - 3:51
5. The Lost Night - 4:20
6. Crossing the Divide - 3:48
7. Owens Hideaway - 3:51
8. Young Mountain Memory - 3:17
9. After The Big Sky Falls - 2:41
10. Escape From Sycamore Canyon - 4:46
11. Winter Way - 3:12

Line-up: 
Todd Montgomery
Gayle Ellett (Djam Karet)

Description/Reviews: 

Frail and haunting, beautiful and dreamy, Gayle Ellett and Todd Montgomery's acoustic music has a sound that is both traditional and contemporary. Highly cinematic and with a strong pan-cultural vibe, they have created a new hybrid style that is uniquely their own. And it is these qualities that make the instrumental music of Fernwood the perfect antidote for the stresses of our modern life.
The title of Fernwood's new album: Arcadia, is loosely based on a narrative that suggests an endless search for an unspoiled wilderness of great beauty, a utopian paradise.
With an expanded palette of world instruments from which to choose from (actually a small orchestra consisting of 25 different acoustic stringed instruments largely invented before the mid-19th Century), Todd Montgomery and Gayle Ellett create acoustic music that is both familiar and exotic, lush and melodic, warm and inspirational.
Their unique music combines modern and classical music concepts, with the traditional sounds of Greek & Irish bouzouki, sitar, dilruba, quirquincho, Chinese ruan, Turkish cumbus, Moroccan oud, harmonium, gimbri, rababa, bulbul tarang, jal tarang, dotara, surmandal, tambura, manjira, tumbi, bugchu, gopichand, violin, mandolin, acoustic guitar, baritone guitar, tenor banjo, tenor ukulele, bells & chimes, acoustic piano, rhodes piano, upright bass, field recordings and other sounds.
And then these exotic tones are used like paint, to create the dramatic visions of immense beauty that is the music of Fernwood. Formed in 2006, they have released three albums so far.
 Their stunning new album Arcadia continues in the same direction and philosophy that the group has been pursuing for the past several years, but with an even grander vision. From their award-winning debut Almeria, to the critically acclaimed Sangita, their music is sophisticated and engaging. Its deeply beautiful acoustic music, with masterful compositions and dynamic orchestration, and an immense attention to detail, and it all comes together on this high-quality recording. 

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

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