Track Listing

1. When The Space Unfolds
2. On Your Own
3. It Might Happen
4. Look
5. There Is No Hope In Perfection
6. You Have Burnt A Bridge
7. Who Cares About You
8. Aviva Hotel
9. How Other People Feel
10. Noel Gallagher Lives His Dream

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #239837 in Music
• Released on: 2007-11-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Album Description
Mark Edwards' exhilaratingly beautiful debut album Balance comprises ten instrumental pieces, lovingly assembled in an almost beat-free style which align glassy guitar figures with minimalist keyboard elegance. Edwards' day job is as music critic for The Sunday Times; Balance is a record born out of his private passion.

Influence spotters may discern a touch of Eno at his most ambient, a sprinkling of Dave `Aerial M' Pajo's layered guitars and, in its more upbeat synth-y moments, an echo of Air. The ghost of the American minimalist composer Harold Budd is probably rattling around somewhere in there as well. And in case this is all starting to sound a bit arch and art, Oasis are a key reference point in the final track, Noel Gallagher Lives His Dream, a track Edwards describes as "featuring exactly the kind of chord sequence that Noel Gallagher likes to use for Oasis choruses. So it's just like Oasis minus the singer...and the drums...and the bass...and the rock guitars."

And so to the final question, what to call this remarkable, unclassifiable stuff? Post-rock plus, or electronica with a big guitar heart may have to do for now. Edwards himself isn't too fussed "as long as people don't think that it's difficult just because it doesn't have words. This is friendly music."

Customer Reviews

Various reviews
"...an album of minimalist mood music that nods its head to 'Low'-era David Bowie, 'Music for Airports'-era Brian Eno and the entire Harold Budd oeuvre. This is music that wraps you in a safe and comforting glow and is better for your blood pressure than a strict vegetarian diet. If you like your music ambient, check out Mark's album..." - The Devil Has The Best Tuna blog

"The Times' music critic decides `I can do this lark too' and comes up with his own ambient album. Edwards shows skill at creating playful little motifs that get under the skin...it's unceasingly pretty." - John Earls, Teletext

"There is a great deal of beauty encased in these songs. ...Pink Floyd can be heard in every pluck of Edwards' guitar, David Gilmour would be most impressed, and so am I...some truly enjoyable instrumentals."- David Samuels, Subba-Culcha

"How much you take to Balance will depend on how much you like your music chilled out, blissful and distinctly adopting a less is more approach. It should be interesting to see where Edwards goes from here..." - Jack Foley, Indielondon