robin guthrie & harold budd: after the night falls/before the day breaks

After The Night Falls and Before The Day Breaks are not ambient. Both are instrumental, absolutely beautiful and as emotionally charged as any previous work from either artist. The pair of albums complement one another, each track with its twin on the companion piece, the two conceived as experiments in the dualities of music and emotion. As with all classic recordings from the Masters the listener desires repeated listening to absorb their full sonic implications. This is soulful music that allows one to find that place within where peace and perspective are achieved. It moves effortlessly to erase the chatter of modern life and inspire meditation on things important. It may help the listener better see their way forward. Robin's trademark guitar sound and Harold's signature piano sound first came together when Harold collaborated with Cocteau Twins on The Moon and the Melodies LP (4AD), 1986. The record was as strikingly beautiful as it was popular. In fact, it was the romantic recording of the decade. Every young person in the 80s made love to it. Here again Guthrie and Budd's signature sounds are absolutely made for each other; in heaven. Actually, it was Budd's long-time collaborator Brian Eno who brought Harold and Robin together. Budd's first record was 1978's Pavilion of Dreams, produced by Brian Eno. That recording helped earn Budd the unwanted title "the Godfather of Ambient Music". Budd and Eno succeeded that record in 1980 with the follow-up to Eno's Ambient 1: Music for Airports -- Ambient 2: Plateaux of the Mirror, and collaborated again to release The Pearl in 1984. The three Budd/Eno records are cornerstones in the canon of ambient music. Budd went on to collaborate with John Foxx (the founder of Ultravox), Japan's David Sylvian, Public Image bassist Jah Wobble, Be Bop Deluxe guitarist Bill Nelson, XTC's Andy Partridge, and of course Cocteau Twin Robin Guthrie. As Guitarist/Producer of seminal band Cocteau Twins, producer of absolute classic masterpieces from Chapterhouse, Lush, A.R. Kane, and Felt, Robin's influence on pop music is legendary. He wasn't part of the Shoegaze scene. He is the genre's father. His production and collaboration credits are long. After The Moon and the Melodies Robin worked with Harold on his 1988 album The White Arcades. He recently wrote his first score and soundtrack with Harold Budd for Gregg Araki's Mysterious Skin. In addition to releasing Continental (Darla), Everlasting (Darla), and Waiting for Dawn (Rocket Girl) in 2006, Robin has recently played on and mixed tracks for Manual, Mahogany, Alsace Lorraine and Ulrich Schnauss. Robin lives in France with his wife and child. Harold lives in New Mexico with his wife and child. ltd 500/includes download