Asturias as we know them from previous work were responsible for their legendary 1988 release called "Circle In The Forest" which was given due credit for being a decent slab of symphonic and majestic sounding progressive music from Japan. This time around, gone are the bombastic sounding keyboards to be replaced with some of the most emotive violin and piano playing this side of Secret Garden's "Nocturne" or "Pastorale" although the arrangements presented here are far more adventurous, boisterous and rewarding.
The music, being acoustic, relies heavily on melody and playful arrangements while offering a somewhat vague insight into their interpretation of what use to make classical music so appealing to the masses. The 5 short songs are busy, upbeat pieces that are very surreal and yet warm and inviting. This is far more than chamber music as it offers a truly enchanting sojourn through a world of haunting beauty and imagination.
Bird Eye's View is certainly a delightful collection of songs that contain many achingly beautiful violin motifs; supported by gut guitar, tasteful piano, glockenspiel with clarinet and recorder accompaniment. The piano and violin interludes on the final track are simply stunning and represent the perfect finale to what will undoubtedly be a disc that will enjoy repeated spins over the coming years. My only complaint is that at only about 25 minutes long, the whole show is over and as the music stops, you are annoyed that our Nipponese friends didn't see fit to include another 3 or 4 songs to complete the whole picture. All in all, this offering is sure to please those yearning for some peace and tranquillity after a heavy dose of Magma or Dream Theatre. The sublime and plaintive violin pieces are so damned nice it would be hard not to feel inspired and uplifted in some way. Recommended
Track Details:
1. Adolescencia
2. Global Network
3. Distance
4. Bird Eyes View
5. Ryu-Hyo
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