Product Description

Debut album from Bristol trio who combine the lush, languidsound of 60s easy-listening pop in the vein of Serge Gainsbourg or Brazilian tropicalia with jazz, funk and soul influences. Their use of modern production techniques and trip-hopbeats is at times reminiscent of Lamb or Massive Attack. Includes the single 'Bellissimo'.

Track Listing

1. Bellissimo
2. Quattra Neon
3. Bliss
4. Heavenly
5. Soleil Soleil
6. Pretty Baby
7. All For Melody
8. Happy And Weak
9. They Died For Beauty

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #91047 in Music
• Released on: 2004-02-23
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Bellissimo!
This has to be one of the best chill-out albums ever. Easily as good as Zero 7's beautiful debut, "Simple Things" (2001), Kate Bush's inspirational and delightful double-disk masterpiece "Aerial" (2005) or any release from Goldfrapp. Somewhat unfairly, Ilya remain in relative obscurity beside those big names, and if it wasn't for hearing "Bellissimo" as featured on a Revlon commercial in 2004 (just the ten second clip of it had me hooked!), I may never have discovered them at all. How much poorer my life would be! This is the perfect album to unwind to. It's distinctive jazzy, Mediterranean feel is a sonic ray of warm, summer afternoon sun, available any time and place.

Highlights of the album include;
Track 1, the lush, dreamy, jazz-tinged ballad, "Bellissimo," with its beautiful sweeping string harmonies and delicate clarinet and harp embellishings.

Track 3, "Bliss." Never has a song been more aptly named! Gentle piano melodies introduce this warm, summery love ballad, while vocalist Joanna Swan's rich, airy voice gently wails "Blissssss, when we're eight miles high. And blisssssss when we reach the sky.

Track 4, "Heavenly" is less chilled, more dramatic, but still fairly downbeat. There's a hind of Broadway-style musical to it, with its grand, cinematic brass-band chorus and sharp, crackling vocal performance.

The rest of the album continues in the more chilled, mellow tones of "Belissimo" and "Bliss," though becoming more melancholy, especially on the dark, mournful "Pretty Baby" and the cool, ghostly sparseness of, "Happy And Weak" which actually gets quite brooding and dramatic toward the end, the traditional Mediterranean style influences very obvious in the instrumentation.
"All for melody" with it's upper-mid tempo, swirling harps, guitars, and meandering melody, is also beautiful, as is "They Died for Beauty" with distinct verses and choruses, the piercing brassy note of the trumpet giving it a certain Spanish feel. In fact all the tracks are great, and there isn't a dull moment on the album. What more can I say except BUY IT! If you like your chilled stuff, this is an absolute must-have. Sonically beautiful, deeply relaxing, chic and classy. Belissimo!

[...]

Worth every penny!
I can't really recommend this album enough. I won't add much to what the other reviewers said, except to say that this is probably my favourite album of all time (and i don't say this lightly!) and that it really grows on you - i have listened to it every single week since i bought it over a year ago. Give it your attention and I'm sure you won't be disappointed!

The new beginning..
Well what can i say? This is simply THE best CD i've bought this year, and will remain in my heart and soul for years to come. An album that flows seamlessly, and conjures up images of lazy afternoons and evenings where your troubles have taken a restbite. Go on, indulge yourselves. It's well worth it!