Stars Will Light The Way is the new album and limited edition book by Parabola West, that is the project of New Zealand based Amy Tucker West, who lives off grid and this project was crowdfunded and independently released, all the songs are recorded at 432 Hertz the healing frequency and each song revolves around a different character.
The album is inspired by Celtic and Nordic folktales, that was a relief to me, as on seeing the bands name I had some flashbacks to learning about Parabolas in the late 1970's and it being one of the more violent of our math's lessons, thankfully I wasn't the kid that got picked on for not being able to explain what a parabola is, as he didn't deserve that treatment. So I'm very happy that this album is a beautiful and totally peaceful work.
The album opens with a slow and steady bass drum beat and piano intro to First Snow that's very atmospheric and pretty like the falling snow.
Calling Your Name has gentle vocals from Amy Tucker West over a laid-back club beat as she tells us it will be the last time that she'll be Calling Your Name as the spectral sounds makes it sound like you've floated away.
Hannah has a very arctic or could it be Antarctic sound similar to Garmana or Hedningarna with the slow beat of the bass drum and drones intercut with the beautiful vocals, this has the feeling of wide open spaces cut through with deep crevices and a bitter cold wind.
New Moon is a string led prayer of thanks for the arrival of another New moon and the signal it gives for the continuum of life as you lay back and look up into the sky towards the new moon and the stars surrounding it.
No One Can Get Me Here is a plaintive ambient folk song singing the praises of living up a mountain and at peace with the world and the nature that surrounds you and provides for your needs.
The Best Thing is a very sparse tune that wraps around the poetry of the lyrics, the ambient loveliness of the music is very relaxing indeed.
Come To Me is the sort of invite that's hard to resist with the gently seductive strings and piano, the invocation at the heart of the lyrics make this rapturously intoxicating.
The Edge is an atmospheric dance tune from the precipice of desire and the memories they conjure up and the music rises and falls like a Parabola in its perfect musical wave form.
While The Watchman Sleeps the piano tinkles away in a very Elton John Daniel kind of way, with Amy's crystalline vocals gently emoting this tale.
World Of Ours revolves around a piano part that's similar to James Youngs The Songs They Never Play On The Radio, but with a vastly different message of love and hope that we can all start working to protect the world and to keep it thriving.
Flowers has long gentle tones and a sparse piano part that perfectly enhance the slow carefully sung vocals on this tale of what happens when they take her Flowers away.
Bippity Boppity starts as an almost ancient folk song apart from the bass drum and as it develops other elements come in to accentuate exactly what Amy means by Bippity Boppity that has some dark percussive sounds among the beautiful plucked strings.
The album closes with New Moon (Extended) that adds an extra minute to the original mix and is not that different as a prayer for the New Moon with a rather lush sound, this really is perfect to welcome the New moon with.
Find out more at https://www.parabolawest.com/ https://www.facebook.com/parabola.west https://parabolawest.bandcamp.com/album/stars-will-light-the-way
