‘A Quiet Day’ is a very chilled new age music album from Ashok Prema, his first release in over a decade. It is sure to find favour with Ash’s electronic music fans and will undoubtably appeal to new listeners.
It all has a very relaxed vibe, even on the more rhythmic pieces. The quirky titles are perfectly reflected in the gently amusing cover art cleverly encompassing the upbeat mood of the album. The tracks are varied, with atmospheric styled excursions like ’Bluebells in the Mist’, with its haunting piano refrain, and ‘The Runner’, with its subtle sequences.
And then we have the upbeat ‘Arlo’s Retreat’ and ‘Walking Cool in Mumbai’. Both these tracks are a delight because they have a joyful, almost whimsical feel. Everything feels open and free…like…well like “Walking Cool in Mumbai”. Echoes of Tangerine Dream styled sequences can be found on ‘Abyss’ and ‘Frogs in the Grass’. But the highlight of this enjoyable music journey is the epic ‘Appleseed’, a powerful, sequence driven track featuring the powerful lead guitar of Rob Jenkins. David Wright’s production ensures a smooth sounding album and, all in all, ‘A Quiet Day’ is a welcome return to form by Ash Prema. It’s clearly a very personal album, full of joy, happiness and a little tongue in cheek amusement. It will make you smile and any music that can do that has got to be worth a listen… highly recommended.
