At first, I expected a typical orchestral video game or movie soundtrack. Different soundscapes, very different emotions, ranging from epic orchestral overtures over calm interludes to fast-paced action themes.
I was surprised to see the opposite. There are absolutely no surprises on this album. The atmosphere on the album stays calm and relaxing all the time - and although the tracks stir different types of emotions, all of them are in some way soothing.
This would certainly make this album a not-so-great soundtrack, since a soundtrack is supposed to acoustically support a game or movie. And no one would ever watch a movie which was soothing all the time and not a single bit thrilling.
Aeon, however, works great as a standalone album and although there is no great variation between the tracks it still won't get boring.
But how does Matti Paalanen achieve that?
It's simple, he is able to catch this soothing, harmonic and calm atmosphere so extremely well, that all the tracks seem to flow nicely. All the tracks seem to produce some kind of unity. The instruments used for this production, mainly harps, piano, strings, woodwinds and mellow percussion sound very close to real ones and the mixing is extremely well done.
So why only eight of ten points?
It's simple. This certainly isn't music for everyone. You really have to be in the mood for this kind of music and you have to except that none of the songs get stuck in your head. The melodies flow nicely, but you won't find yourself whistling them since there are absolutely no stand-out tracks. Although soothing and atmospherical, Aeon is nothing more than that. And it's alright that way.
The record is simple, yet beautiful as it is. And thus, perfect music to listen to after a hard day in the office or after hours of traffic jam. But nothing to put your media player on repeat for.
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