Enya "The Memory Of Trees" (1995)

This could be my now established familiarity with Enya's remarkable music but The Memory Of Trees has a touch of "by the numbers" to it. The overall flow reveal a familiar structure, uniformity and similarities in songwriting find footing in cadence to that of other records. Anywhere Is has that playful tropical jollity to it, a charming track none the less. Pax Deorum takes an early dive into the dark side, conjuring echoes of Mordor war drums in the deep to guide its foreboding menace. A brief resolution of angelic respite emerges before plunging back into the fantastical devilish demeanor.

From there, the album drifts through its calmer sentiments. Endearing voice and string harmonies, emotive piano compositions and touches of childish joy on tracks like Tea-House Moon. That familiar mix of English, Gaelic and wordless singing guides the way. Ending with On My Way Home, that and the hymn-like Hope Has A Place strikes with an uncanny sense of Deja-vu. Surely I've heard these exact ones before?

Its a strange sentiment to emerge from an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable record. A stagnant moment from a musician in peak stride. Not something to complain about. The Memory Of Trees is a luscious listening experience, a craft of pure inspiration but seemingly the same inspiration, leaving me with a lack of fresh vocabulary to expel despite being enthralled once again, another wonderful chapter.

Rating: 8/10

Enya "Shepherd Moons" (1991)

 

Understated yet sublime, Enya returns with a seemingly subdued take on her previously adventurous, occasionly tropical music. Shedding the New Age traits, she hones in on deeper, humanist inspirations. Clearly inspired by Irish herritage, voice and instruments form a union around the spirit of Folk hymns. A harmonous, intimate tone emerges, capturing a spiritual connection through seeming but deceptive simplisity. Stripped back composotions commonly pair strings and pianos, laid bare against Enya's exemplary voice. They strike at the heart of a songs intention, without the melodic garnish and fluffy fanfare that could easily slip into these compositions.

Thus Shepherd Moons almost seems broody on first encounters. A lengthy foray into atmosphere over immenence. Regular intervals linger on these minimalist passages, maximized by the aesthetic claritty of immaculate sounds suspended in gentle, spacious reverbs. This approach leans into the spirtual sentiment, a soothing breeze of mortal meaning, profound and almost devine in its church hymn nature. So to does her singing in Gaelic evoke that emotive power found in traditional communal music.

 Describing the magic of Enya's voice is such a feat. Words evade yet a prevailing sentiment remains. She seems like a muse unto herself, channeling heavenly inspirations to a humane destination. Learning of her seclusion from the lime light and reluctance to perform live elevates this mythos. Citing she cannot do her carefully crafted songs justice, I end up with a sense of finding perfection that works.

When her voice graciously drifts over adorning strings or moving piano chords, its simply wonderous. So often she arrives in different measures, from gently singing words, to humming tunes and many places between. Layering melodies and chanting like choral synths, it all comes together with a touch of divinity. On this incarnation, it all flows like a river of time, continuously flowing, giving one a dose of tranquility.

Rating: 9/10 

Enya "Watermark" (1988)

 

A Day Without Rain made quite the impression, Watermark has a similar revelry in the sublime. Released twelve years prior, Enya's musical philosophy seems more remarkable for a decade often marred by cheesy Glam and cheap Synthpop. Her adoration of harmony through voice and traditional instruments plays out on contemplative compositions. Performed via keyboards, the production handles their synthetic nature expertly, one could be fooled into picturing her with an assemble of trained musicians orchestrating these deeply emotive songs.

Swaying from the imaginative, colorful throws of New Age, into cinematic scores of sentimental stirrings, Enya graces us with a range of humanist emotions. Evoking sentimental pondering, themes of beauty, love and warmth caress by. With ambience and a touch of gloom the scenes painted occasionally slip into a melancholic haze, a curious space of gently handled sorrows. So to our there flushes of exuberance as worldly sounds usher in colorful strides of adventurous melody.

Each idea feels nurtured and understood, expressed expertly as dense orchestrations of instruments play alongside lone piano pieces and minimal compositions. Through it all, her soft soothing voice sings as a guiding light. Occasionally drifting into the scenery itself, she becomes more of the melody than words uttered. Its a delight how she is always in equilibrium with the varying temperaments explored.

Then there is the case of Orinoco Flow, an explosion of exotic, tropical delight. This song was a huge hit and still sounds fantastic today, as if it exists in a space of its own. Interestingly, the dialed down, meditative ambience of River with its quirky bass aesthetic almost sounds like an echo of that track. Perhaps the link between these two songs lies in a similar aquatic sentiment felt.

Other highlights include the dramatic The Longships and a darkly epic Cursum Perficio. Giving the track listing a little more attention in my closing remarks, the oceanic theme seems all to obvious now. No doubt I'll give it more attention on future listens. This ones a gem I'm sure will only grow closer to the heart with time.

Rating: 8/10

Enya "A Day Without Rain" (2000)

 

Enya! A name known far and wide across the musical realm, yet for why I wouldn't of been able to tell you, until recently. Hearing Orinoco Flow again, for the first time in decades, that sublime imaginative piece turned me onto her genius. Learning this record is one of the millenniums best selling, I've been set loose on a new journey.

A Day Without Rain strikes me as a union between classical instrumentation and modern convention, her voice arriving as an added dimension of charm, chiming in among the cast of apparatus making up an orchestra. Its mostly the staccato strings offer a melodic focus, as Classical grandiose arrangements are simplified into repetitive sections mimicking Pop music's verse chorus structure. The rest of the aesthetic range nestles into soothing ambiences, soft and gentle, giving space for the character of her subtly understated yet powerful voice to breath its life.

At times her exquisite tone takes on temperaments akin to a lead voice in traditional church music, hymns and psalms evoking rural echo's of Ireland and Wales. In these songs a deeply human empathy and sense of natural beauty emerges. One can almost see the rolling green hills of endless countryside and rural life that comes with it. Somehow, these moments flow perfectly with another half. Voice and instruments take on an adventurous, playful quality, exploring into fantastical spaces.

I couldn't talk about this record without mentioning Tempus Vernum. Led by Timpani drums and cold bells, Its cautious venture into stormy temperaments yields a danger from this orchestral setup I simply adore. This explains a curious bridge to the fantastical realms of war and darkness explored by the likes of Emperor's keyboard section and Glenn Stafford's medieval battle music heard on Warcraft II.

On some level, similar themes that evoke agrarian, un-urbanized, primitive yet spiritual emotions exist both here and in Fantasy music and Dungeon Synth among others from the more esoteric and obscure side of music I am usually indulged with. Enya is a refreshing take on that territory, making those connections without venturing into the abstract. Her older music however, might take a different direction.

Rating: 8/10