Enigma

1994. It was, perhaps, impossible to view VH1 at any given moment during that year and miss the memorable clip for Enigma's "Return to Innocence". Opening with the peaceful death of an elderly man beneath a tree, the video unfolds in reverse exposition (a la Coldplay's "The Scientist") to weave the tale of that man's life all the way back to birth - the literal return to innocence.

Inspired by recent revisitations to the work of E.S. Posthumus and simultaneously reminded of the mid-nineties by dusting off my copy of In the House of Stone and Light, I felt compelled to remain in flashback mode and review the early works of prominent electronica musicians Enigma.

Fronted primarily by the gifted Michael Cretu and an insanely awesome bamboo flute, Enigma burst onto the electronica/new age scene in the early nineties with impressive bravado. For a few precious years, they accomplished the improbable and made new age sound rather swell.

Then, as fate would have it, Yanni had his Acropolis deal in '94 and Enya released an album a year later. New age sunk back into its former state of what could be described as "cotton candy" music. Though it should be noted Enya did win a Grammy for her record, but a new age Grammy is pretty much a Gimme Grammy. Enya has racked up a win for nearly every album released. At last count, she is up to at least four or five.

You see, it's not exactly a hotly contested genre.

But I digress.

With the release of MCMXC a.D. in 1990, Enigma catapulted themselves to stardom with a brilliant cohesion of Gregorian chants, sweet synth beats, and the aforementioned insanely awesome bamboo flute. Their work would be drafted into dozens of films, trailers, and television ads and have the distinction of featuring on my fifth grade mix tape.

Their early albums, perhaps inevitably, sound a bit prosaic at present. It is probably difficult for first-time listeners to recognize that in 1990 the sound of Enigma was both edgy and stylistically nouveau.

Fourteen years after release, there is still something innately special about "Return to Innocence" - indeed, the whole of Cross of Changes is an impressive piece of work. Never, before or since, did Cretu and crew combine their stock of worldly chants and electronica beats with such pitch perfect effect.

That's why it will always remain a mainstay in my collection, and that's why it should remain in yours as well.

"Mea Culpa" from MCMXC a.D. (1990)

"Return to Innocence" from The Cross of Changes (1993)

Martin Page

Genesis. An admiration for that particular progressive rock band is perhaps one of the few commonalities Martin Page and I share. Though, now that I consider it, Page harbors a partiality to the pre-Collins Genesis records and I definitely fall into the post-Gabriel realm of fandom. Apparently the distinction between the two is still fiercely debated, with many fans still referring to Collins as the "new guy."

But I digress.

Aside from a mutal partiality to Genesis, I have an absolute adoration for In the House of Stone and Light, the first and (so far) last album from Page. Released in 1994, the album gained significant buoyance from the success of its album-titled track and subsequent single "Keeper of the Flame."

The video clip for "In the House of Stone and Light" was played endlessly on VH1 (back when they actually rotated music videos) during the summer of '94 and could still be seen deep into 1995 (usually adjacent to the outstanding Annie Lennox clip for "No More I Love Yous"). The track also spun heavily on radio and featured on adult contemporary playlists for years afterward.

Despite a default categorization as a "one hit wonder", I find the record an endless source of indulgence I return to at least once a year. This is partly because of the polished, superlative songwriting and partly because of the exceedingly intricate care given to the instrumentation.

Prior to recording his debut album, Page had written songs for acts as diverse as Go West, Tom Jones, Earth Wind & Fire, Heart, and Starship. This experience in the music business, combined with Page's involvement in seminal eighties techno band Q-Feel, allowed him to slate such venerable session musicians as Robbie Robertson (of The Band, on guitar) and Phil Collins (of Genesis, on drums) who lent their considerable talents to the harmony of Page's magnum opus.

Spaced throughout In the House of Stone and Light are the ubiquitous love songs ("Light in Your Heart", "I Was Made For You"), yet a variety of disparate topics are addressed on the album, including: domestic violence ("In My Room"), World War II internment camps ("The Door"), and a general condemnation of modern wars and societal ills ("Shape the Invisible").

Curiously, the single version of the marriage ballad "Keeper of the Flame" was coupled with the b-side "Broken Stairway" - which could very well have been written about a divorce. Though this may strike some as a contradictory move to some, I found it a perfect accompaniment to the chugging percussion and amiable tone of the a-side.

"Broken Stairway" is a heartachingly beautiful piano ballad clocking in at a scant two minutes forty-nine seconds. In that brief period of time, what unfolds is perhaps one of the saddest songs I've had the pleasure of discovering.

For those who share my affinity for In the House of Stone and Light and lament the sophomore album that never came, there is light on the horizon. According to Page, second album In the Temple of the Muse is slated for "imminent" release sometime in early 2008. A recent track, "Healing Waters", which Page recorded for the 2007 Abrazos breast cancer benefit album, can be streamed here.

While the tone is certainly reminiscent of his debut album and the track overall is warmingly strong, it's rather evident his vocals lack the robust power they once held. At present, it is unclear if "Healing Waters" will feature on the upcoming record because a track listing is still unavailable.

Page has long had a penchant for quoting historical figures in his works (his myspace blog is adorned with them). In homage to this practice, I'll leave you with the selection he inserted into the liner notes of In the House of Stone and Light:

“Defenceless under the night

Our world in stupor lies;

Yet, dotted everywhere,

Ironic points of light

Flash out wherever the just

Exchange their messages:

May I, composed like them

of Eros and of dust

Beleaguered by the same

Negation and despair,

Show an affirming flame”

- W.H. Auden from “September 1, 1939”

"In the House of Stone and Light" from In the House of Stone and Light (1994)

"Broken Stairway" from In the House of Stone and Light (1994)

"Dancing in Heaven (Orbital Be-Bop)" from Q-Feel (1983)