Bio

The haunting hollowness of the guitar wailings on Flight. is unlikely to get washed away from your mind, hard as you may try. There's a magical purity to the guitar notes here, and an ambiguity which is quite charming as well. Is this electric guitar being coaxed into sounding acoustic, or is this acoustic guitar coming off all steely and electrified? Flight is an intriguing piece of instrumental work, with the artist displaying experimental guitar playing of a rarefied nature. Hawkwise is a one-man project, with acoustic guitars forming the backbone of the sound. His listed influences include Nick Drake, Pink Floyd and Tangerine Dream. The Pink Floyd reference really hits home, because there's an unmistakable 'Wish you were here' feeling to Flight. Perhaps it's in the way the crisply stroked guitar notes seem to linger in the air for just so long. Maybe it's in the way the various notes unite in one melodic confluence. Hard to put a finger on, really. The only point of contention on this song would be the muted, incomprehensible vocal treatment. While some of you might find it distracting, do try and hold it up against the overall flow of the track. The intermittent voices in the background do bring about a sense of drama, and seem to work quite nicely with the sharp guitar right up-front. That being said and done, Flight by Hawkwise is one journey you're going to want to take. ............................................. ................................... ................... ....... .. I can't help but like this, a two minute acoustic instrumental glimpse into the mind of Hawkwise. This artist is smart enough to know when the lyrics just plain are not necessary, and instead lets the slow pickings of guitar strings tell us what to feel. It's nice to hear stuff like this, especially when it's actually recorded nicely. Songs of this style can be overproduced, but more often than not they're underdone. You hear nothing but a few guitar chords and a bunch of fizz. Not on this track though, since Hawkwise took the time to make sure the really important elements come through clearly in the mix. And though there's no real rhythm to this piece, the meter clearly changes frequently as the pickings change, this reviewer can't find anything to make a real fuss about. If you like acoustic music, the bottom line in my opinion is that you won't find much better for spending a short two minutes to listen. Give Martha. a chance, I'm sure you won't regret it. www. Gods Of Music.com. Visit Hawkwise @ www.hawkwise.com www.myspace.com/davidjonpearce