The power of music is astonishing. While many artists are able to channel this power to bring their energy and emotional impact to their work, others use its power in a more focused way. This focus is the power that Theda Phoenix imbues her crystal-fueled, harmonic meditations with in “Crystal Calm Vol. 2.” The powerful effects of the harmonies that the chimes of her crystal bowls create alongside her voice are moving and allow one to flow into a meditative state easily.
The entrancing soundscape of the “Calm Inception” brings you in right from the beginning. Rushing waters create the feeling of motion which makes the flow into the other sounds feel natural. The track is a calming one, leveraging the soothing sounds of slow-ringing chimes and animal noises to transport you to an inner oasis of the mind. These entrancing melodies show the power of the vibration-based singing bowls as they harmonize with the beautiful vocals. Theda Phoenix’s vocal performance is nothing short of entrancing in this track and allows the other sounds to focus around it. “Calm Inception” creates an incredibly soothing mental environment that effortlessly carries you away into the rest of the album.
The next track, “Emerging,” feels like a calming transition into the sounds of “Mama River.” The third track focuses on the sounds of rushing water, never allowing them to be drowned out by the rest of the meditative elements of the soundscape until around the 5-minute mark. The exiting of the sound brings the track into a new paradigm with a feeling of palpable, but soft, ascension. This feeling is cashed in on shortly afterward by the sounds of birdsong that flanks the ambient vocals and echoing bells. As the track ends, the ethereal breaths of Theda Phoenix lead you into the next track.
Where the album has been a soothing experience guided by the voice of Theda Phoenix, “Navigating Tides” feels as though the listener is on their own. The deep breathing that brought you into the track is quickly drowned by crashing tides and mysterious ambient sounds. The ethereal vocals feel much more authoritative here and combine with the ringing sounds to create a slight dissonance at times. This adds to the mysterious profile of “Navigating Tides” making it a stand-out on the album.
Finally, the 15-minute epic of an outro track, “Surrender,” is a perfect way to end this deep meditation. The track features some of the deeper vocal melodies that combine with the natural sounds of rushing water and the ethereal ringing sounds to create a hypnotic effect with a soft feeling. Moments of introspection and calm are fueled by well-timed chimes of the bowls fusing with the flowing momentum that the sounds of the rushing water brings. Other moments feel designed to break that calm with bursts of closely-timed ringing, cradled by the powerful vocals of Theda Phoenix. These moments never feel disruptive to the sense of focus the track brings, but are effective at subtly nudging a listener back from the deep journey the album sends you on.
While it may seem unconventional to most, “Crystal Calm Vol. 2” is a powerful album. Its ability to create serene sonic landscapes that allow the listener to slow down and focus in on their own thoughts while listening is nothing short of miraculous and will affect everyone in a different way. Though they all flow into one another effortlessly, each track serves to prop up different parts of a journey the album takes you on. While the intent of the album is to listen to it all in session, the careful attention to detail in the mixing allows one to pick favorites and though it’s tough to pin down one specific track, it’s easy to understand the feeling that each sequence of them evokes. For those looking for it, “Crystal Calm Vol. 2” is the perfect getaway a restless mind could ask for.
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