New Music From Elisabeth Hartline, Signal Mountain
Elisabeth Hartline
Hymns of Meditation
Far too often musicians create music that fits a mold. They make music that is for other people, and in the process, the sound gets watered down due to that fact. When music is really special, potent, and pure, the artists put other people out of their mind and make music that derives from within, without thought of who might listen to it.
Chattanooga’s own Elisabeth Hartline has poured music that comes from her heart with her recent experimental album release Hymns of Meditation, that is full of beauty and delightful music.
The diverse album is a blend of multiple styles of music and does not fit any type of genre mold. It is its own unadulterated individual force. It is obvious that she tapped into the music that is inside of her, and was able to draw the magic out and make an album out of it.
Closed minded people that only listen to the radio might not be able to appreciate this remarkable album, but that does not take away from its quiet storm status.
Much of the album is super chill and thought-provoking, but there are tracks that will move bodies. The whole album permeates the airwaves and has the ability to take over the listener. It unlocks nostalgia to strange place and time and will leave people in a trance-like state floating through space and time.
Hartline found a way to connect with people through her music, and it has the ability to breach and break down trapped emotions, which guides people to work through mental and heartfelt turmoil. When artists have the ability to help people work through their personal issues through sound, that means that they are next level artists, with a very unique talent.
Each song makes its bid as the standout track, however, “Danse de Feu Ceremonielle”, which is a superb track that holds weight as one of the greatest songs in the history of music. It is a trippy, funky, Spanish based, mariachi-inspired jam; it is unbelievably good.
Other notable tracks “Procession Into The Gates”, “Dream State”, and “Deep Sleep” all have the ability to strum people's heart chords. Do not sleep on this local sensation. The music that she makes is extraordinary.
Signal Mountain
Familiar Trails
It seems as if beautiful, captivating, awe-inspiring music is the theme for this week’s reviews, because another prime example of just that is the album Familiar Trails by the local music group that goes by the name Signal Mountain. The duo that makes up the band, Eric Setterlund and Josh McCausland, combine to unleash their talent through sound, and they complement each other flawlessly.
The ambient collaboration project fluctuates musical styles as the album progresses to its end. While classifying it as one specific genre is just not an option, that fact should not really matter anyway. Many different styles and sounds all blend to take over the airwaves and coagulate to produce stellar tracks throughout the entirety of the spellbinding album.
To call Familiar Trails enthralling would be selling it short—it is much more than that. It is mood stabilizing music that has the ability to center the listener and help them drift through their minds. It is exceptional on many different levels, particularly the fact that it will send each listener on their own individual ride.
No two people are going to go to the same place while they are listening to the music of it. It is almost handcrafted for specific individuals, only collectively; meaning that everybody will be touched by it in their own way.
The only way to fully grasp the potency of the album, to connect with the artists, and to understand their intentions of the music is to press play and let it ride through its entirety.
Standout tracks “Valley”, “Descending”, “Ascending”, and the title track “Familiar Trails”, all are nothing less than gripping but do not stop there. People that listen to just one or two tracks will not get to experience the magic of the whole album.
We should all be thankful that this dynamic duo linked up to create music together.Support this astounding local group and feel the uplifting delight of their sound.