Iona

Item: Journey Into The Morn
Author: Ed Rock / Bev White

Journey Into The Morn

(1996)

Reviewed by Ed Rock / Bev White

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Label ForeFront RecordsThe LighthouseJune 1996

celtic new age progressive rock

Bev: Journey Into The Morn resembles Hans Zimmer more than any Clannad I've ever heard, especially in the fusion of the electric guitar and the ambient synthesizers.

Ed: Well, not being familiar with either artist, I can't argue that.

Bev: Clannad is the group Iona tends to get compared with the most in my experience; I believe Maire Brennan is involved with them to some extent. They tend to resemble Enya in some ways (in fact, Enya once belonged to Clannad). Zimmer does film scores, notable ones including Toys, Labyrinth, Lion King, and Broken Arrow.

Ed: Hmmm. I guess I'll have to check out both at some point.

As for Journey Into The Morn, I would compare it quite favorably with Iona's previous three ForeFront releases. I also hear some similarities to October Project. This project seems to have moments that are less eclectic than on other albums and other moments that seem maybe more obscure, but it all ties together rather nicely for me.

Bev: I probably would have liked a tad more eclecticism in the style; it all sort of blended together.

Ed: I'll agree it does tend to blend together-I have a hard time knowing which song is which while listening, but I just consider it one long piece.

Bev: There seems to be just a little too much reliance on that one note that just sort of goes on forever in this kind of ethereal drawl, don't you think?

Ed: Hmmmm. Sorry to disagree, but for me, the ethereality of Iona is what brings me back to them over and over. They create music that lets me relax, that helps my mind wander to a faraway land. It makes me want to dance around my apartment, uninhibited and joyous. It creates flowing images in my mind of veils dancing in the wind. It's like taking a bite out of a York Peppermint Patty [TM].

Bev: Yes, but ethereality need not rely on one single chord, which I found was Iona's major downfall.

Ed: I guess I was more wrapped up in the relaxing experience to notice.

Bev: "Bi-Se I Mo Shuil" is not a great way to start an album-really not-too mellow, not enough catch. If it had turned up as a counterpoint following, say, "Wisdom," it might have worked better; I expected it to spin down into something much less mellow, but that took too long to build to.

Ed: Wow, I see it really differently. I think "Bi-Se I Mo Shuil" is an excellent call in to the album, almost like a call to prayer or worship or an overture to a musical. It sets the scene, maybe even, but not necessarily the mood. It is the beginning point and everything builds from that point.

Bev: The tone picked up a few songs in; if the first and third songs had been swapped it might have been a bit easier to involve me in the overall tapestry. The English lyrics hit their stride around about the third song, but only in the middle; they seem a bit out of place and prosaic until then. Iona doesn't seem to begin well, and you need to pretty much stick with it and force the initial involvement to some extent. Once that's done and over with it's rather entrancing, especially as they start to hit the Sinead-esque "I Am Stretched On Your Grave" inspired parts with rhythm and heavy modern influence. Ethereal is not their great strength; it sounds like so much Clannad imitation.

Ed: Hmmm. I have no reference. But I do enjoy their beginnings. I like the very slowness of it-the taking time to build. I like their ethereality.

Bev: The ethereality is nice, but I felt their slowness could have come with far greater intensity.

Ed: That, of course is a possibility, but not a necessity, for me.

Bev: I can't tell where Maire Brennan comes in. Ed, help?

Ed: I haven't even noticed unless she's some of the bgv's like on "Everything Changes," which is one of the most memorable songs from the album. It's a bit of a departure for Iona in its almost "hipness"-probably the most contemporary sound they've ever attempted.

The songs tend to be poetry, prayers, worship, and scripture texts that fit the music perfectly. Illustrating this most beautifully, is their eight-minute arrangement of the traditional hymn "When I Survey." It starts off dreamily ethereal and builds with power, all the while maintaining the dreamy state the music creates.

"Journey Into The Morn" is an ode to a friend passed away:

Out of the sorrow Into the Joy Where we'll dwell In the highlands With Him evermore.

The tune is quiet and solemn, yet expresses hope for the future.

Instrumentals and instrumental interludes smoothly transport the listener from thought to thought. This is music for the theater of the mind, a soundtrack for times of contemplation and relaxation.

Bev: Unfortunately, I have no viable counterpoint for this. It is, certainly, viable music for relaxation, but is so easily backgrounded that distraction was quite simple for me.