Craig Padilla – Light in the shadow

3 reviews for Craig Padilla – Light in the shadow

1. 

   Dene Bebbington – 2022-11-22

   I’m not very familiar with Craig Padilla‘s work, having only heard Eye of the Storm which is mainly rhythm and sequencing based. In contrast his latest album The Light in the Shadow is an epic spacemusic voyage consisting of one track taking us on an hour long journey through glorious regions of the galaxy and beyond. Craig is joined by Skip Murphy on additional synths and sequencers.

   Few spacemusic albums genuinely evoke the idea of floating through space and viewing celestial wonders as much as this one. Gentle cosmic whistles begin our metaphorical voyage while hollow resonating drones form a backdrop and cometary sonics trail briefly across the soundscape. Ethereal wordless ahhhh” vocals add extra layers to the meditation on wondrous cosmic sights and goings on.
   After a while the intensity and mix of sounds increases. Swirling electronic layers and ribbons of sound

2. 

   Chuck van Zyl / Star’s End – 2022-11-22

   Utilizing large forms and expansive tonalities Craig Padilla realizes music to enhance sleep rather than induce it. The Light in the Shadow (63’32) combines the grand scale of America’s western spaces with the precision of the Teutonic school.

   This continuous long-form piece

3. 

   Phil Derby / Electroambient Space – 2022-11-22

   Its always a bit of a challenge to review a long ambient piece. It can be difficult enough to describe electronic music in words, let alone for an album that has only one track with little melody and only gradual changes.

   A good place to start is the title. Sometimes an afterthought in this genre, Im guessing that Craig thought this one over carefully, or at least was well aware of how perfectly it fit the mood and the sounds.
   It truly is equal parts light and shadow, and I can picture shadowy reflections of light just under a watery surface. We are drawn to the dancing light, and find it entertaining to just watch for a while, enjoying the ebbs and flows in the patterns. And such is the case with the music here; although it changes only gradually and tends to repeat familiar phrases and patterns, the slow gyrations of sound are relaxing and beautiful. Oh, it does gradually build the intensity somewhat, with a bit more subtle layers and an increase in volume, but for the most part it is content to swirl in a circular fashion, seemingly expanding ever outward. A bit more structure and even a pretty melody emerge much later on, past the 40-minute mark, and continue up until a long slow luxurious fade.

   This is a fantastic ambient journey, one of the best of 2006.

   2007. Phil Derby / Electroambient Space