Soundscape Music

Soundscape Review by Craig Conley of the band Captive Audience

If the best music works on more than just your eardrums, then the music of Lance Lenehan is like getting a full-body massage.

Based in Australia, Lance composes symphonic synthesizer music in the tradition of Vangelis, Jean-Michel Jarre, Enya, and Mark Dwane. He was introduced to electronic music in the early 1970's when he heard Japanese synthesiser artist Isao Tomita playing Moussorgsky's famous "Pictures at an Exhibition." Not long afterward, Lance purchased his first synthesiser and began experimenting with and recording a whole new range of sounds. Since then, he has composed and produced a wide variety of music which is largely ambient, but also incorporates elements of traditional orchestration, jazz, and rock. His music, created on both analogue and digital synthesizers and digital samplers, reflects the major technological developments in electronic music over nearly 20 years. Today, Lance combines his computer programming skills with the latest music technology to develop soundscapes from layers of both traditional and modern instrumentation.

His album "Soundscape" contains beautiful examples of his musical approach. The song "The Summer Past," with its jubilant synths and intricate pop melody lines, is reminiscent of Erasure. The more orchestral "Turning Point," with its engaging Celtic melody, is comparable to the early work of Enya. "Animotion" features a very deep sampled voice and an exotic, bouncy piano rhythm. "The Last Rainforest" combines the sounds of traditional instruments (such as drums, bells, flutes) with guitar and brass in a mid-tempo world-music style. "Runner" is a majestic, upbeat synthpop piece with crisp percussion and a strong, uplifting melody that repeats in the style of a Hindu chant. Twelve of Lance's tracks are available in RealAudio and MP3 formats on his website.

Soundscape Review by Bert Strolenberg KLEM magazine The Netherlands

Electronic music from Down Under from someone named Lance Lenehan

Lance, according to some photo's, has a private studio with a nice collection of analogue and digital equipment. His interest in em was triggered after hearing Tomita's version of Moessorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition; since then he has been composing music, influenced by Jarre and Vangelis, for short films, documentairies and special productions.

Soundscape is his 1st solo-effort, and having heard it you can't deny there's still a certain amateur-vein sounding over it. Lance produces symphonic-kindered music of quite a simple, sometimes a little superficial manner to my taste, although a lot of sounds and soundscapes he gets out of his synths really ask for more depth and further development.

Once, Lance really succeeds in getting to that higher level: Mastery of Service is a 5 minute symphony in a nut-shell in the grand Gandalf/Vangelis tradition containing all the elements to make his music shine all over the place; you really hear lots of emotion scattering out of it. In some way, Gone Forever carries some of these same elements as well, but doesn't get to the same impact.

Lance seems to be releasing a new cd within a short while, of which I really hope that he will continue in the same sublime manner as on Mastery and Service and Gone Forever, where he really showed-off professional craftmanship. Both production & soundquality of this recording are perfect.

Ambient Spaces Review by Bert Strolenberg E-dition Magazine The Netherlands

My first encounter with the music of the Australian musician Lance Lenehan was back in 1996 with his album Soundscape, which couldn’t convince me. Now
he’s back with this brand new album “Ambient Spaces”.

It starts with the beautiful ”Song of my Heart”, a warm and intimate piece with Vangelis-like textures. Tracks 3 and 6 continue in the same vein, sometimes even with some exquisite piano, while the tracks between them stay rather vague. After these tracks the rhythmic “Este Clave” (with its trumpet-sounds) lacks direction, which also applies for “Mercury Rising”. “Moon” is more quiet again, but next to some Vangelis-lingerings it isn’t a strong composition either.

Tracks 10 and 11 (the latter reminded me of “Chariots of Fire”) return to the strong, intimate atmospheres, which again confirms to me what is Lenehan’s stand-out trademark: Vangelis kindred, emotional music which really touches you without getting too soft. I think Lance should really stick to that, as now his album only gets my thumbs up on only 5 of the 12 tracks tracks.

Soundscape Review by Ton de Korte The Netherlands (Translation by Peter Nicolsen)

I think that on this CD, Lance has given us a crossection of his music. They could have been the residue of the work he has done for film. You get this impression because the pieces are of varying intensity, composition and quality.

You do notice however, that the pieces fit well in relation to the content. Generally, the quality is good; only about 3 minutes into the first number, Lance seems to lose the plot of the song a bit. Luckily, this doesn’t last long. The press is good and the compositions sound nice. All in all, a must for your collection.

1. THE SUMMER PAST
A very appropriate title: quietly passing sounds and a sequencer give you the impression of a balmy summerevening like the ones you get at the end of summer. It is just unfortunate that the sequencer seems to lose the thread a bit, about halfway through the song.

2. TURNING POINT
Nice piano solos that fit somewhere between Vangelis and John Kerr. Towards the end the music becomes more powerful as if a decision has been made.

3. ANIMOTION
A simple sequencer rhytm and a distorted voice form a powerful, danceable number and it sounds like a grown-up Peru.

4. SUMMER DREAMS
Just like the first number, this places you in a warm summer night that changes into a cool night which momentarily awakens nature.

5. MASTERY AND SERVICE
A threatening beginning (Master) develops into a melody which is full of expectation and surprised anticipation, only to return to the original theme. This number really asks for a long, detailed follow up.

6. TIDAL SHORES
If you’ve ever stood on a rock where the sea quietly licks the shore, but you know that at the same time it’s holding itself back, then you know whwat this song sounds like. Quiet, but containing a perfect tension.

7. LA FEMME
A happy melody and the voice of a woman make you forget the tense nature of the previous song.

8. GONE FOREVER
This title could really mean two things: Glad we got rid of something, or we lost something. The mood of the song is such that you tend to think it is the latter, but the whole song also exudes something positive: as if you are happy that whatever it is that’s gone, is really gone.

9. THE DOLPHINS
A nicesong, though extremely hard to describe.

10. THE LAST RAINFOREST
The combination of panflute and guitar rifs paint a picture of a south-american rainforest.

11. RUNNER
The theme of this song is carried by the sequencer and gives you the impression that everything is going well.

12. TO BE CONTINUED
Appropriate and happy ending; it makes you wish for a follow up.

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Reviews copyright their respective authors.