Lunascape

I am giving this four stars because after more than one listen I started to get the music. The first time I was pretty distracted and thought this was a Cranberries rip-off. One of my roommates thought one of the songs was a new Cranberries track as well. After a while, those comparisons fade away and you start to take the CD seriously. The heart felt emotions on Tears from the Moon paired with the near solemn beats and melodies behind Kyoko's voice drive the message home. The rest of the album takes you through a range of feelings and imagery to make this a rare find on Amazon.

"It just ain't fair
This thing called Loving
When one's still there
And the Other feels nothing
I would have done
Anything for you
I still love you, Baby I do
All day I keep
From falling apart
But at night
When the sky gets dark
Tears from the Moon
Fall down like rain
I reach for you
I reach in vain"

Lunascape invites you into an ambient world of trip hop shimmering with mystery and revelation. Kyoko Baertsoen's sweet vocals have a sultry edge and velvety texture that dances as easily in the darkness as the light.

You can imagine the words of "Carolyn" drifting across an open sea or dream of listening to "Tears from the Moon" on a ship sailing to exotic destination.

"Your Shadow" is exotic and intimate with creative lyrics and slips of sound that seem to layer over each other in a dance of longing and unveiling. Kyoko Baertsoen's vocals are breathlessly beautiful and mingle exquisitely with enchanting lyrics.

"Shadow
Illuminate your soul
Illuminate your soul
Expose the shade
Liquefy your heart
Drown the pain
Fairylight of love
Fades away
The trifle above
Your Shadow
I can never see your
Shadow at night"

This finely crafted album is one that can appeal to fans who love everything from trip hop to ambient escapes. The songs range from darkly sexy to sweetly elegant, but always have a sensuous edge.

If you enjoy Balligomingo and Delerium,
this should impress you.

~The Rebecca Review

Yikes! This is one of those cd purchases that came as a result of researching with a desire to fill in the void of something very good and compelling by Delerium. Or, perhaps Balligomingo. Yes to the minor key construct and precussive nature of the recording overall. Comes off a little too overproduced at times and I've already spoken to my annoyance with the O'Riordan-like vox. Not a bad record, but, one best purchased at a discounted price.

I would recommend this CD. It has enough variety but not so much that the CD doesn't flow. The lead singers voice is hauntingly beautiful

This is very good. Nice renditon of Tears from the Moon, if you like cranberries or Sinead O'Connor, and feel a tad on the mellower side of things, this is perfect.

About the Band:
Lunascape is a trip-hop / darkwave band fronted by Belgian vocalist Kyoko Baertsoen. I like to describe Kyoko's music as a blend between two well known bands the Cranberries and Delerium. Personally the genre name "trip-hop" is a bit counter intuitive to me, because the genre is a really mellow blend of electronics and dark romantic / moody lyrics.

About the Album:
Released in 2008, the 50 minute long Innerside follows Lunascape's highly successful Reminiscence (which I also recommend). Again, Kyoko's English vocals really dominate the album and are sure to please most. In fact, despite the inherent moodiness that dominates most trip-hop songs, the overall energy of the album is such that you'll probably want to dance around your room. The lyrics for all 12 tracks are included in the CD liner notes. I certainly enjoy pulling open the liner notes and singing along.

I've listed my favorite tracks below, and recommend purchasing the entire album. At times, such as on Surrender, Kyoko's vocals remind me a bit of Sarah McLachlan. Surrender is note worthy in that the song was featured (and back very popular in Belgium) as the title track for one of the more recent series of the Flikken police TV series.

Truth or Dare, my favorite track, starts off with "old world" violins, but quickly blends instruments new and old in a song in which the central character of the song is essentially asking his/her lover to finally make a commitment: yes or no, make a choice: truth or dare. Though the catchy lyrics to this song are simple and tend to repeat, they certainly will touch a cord with many of us.

Fans of electro-pop artists Yendri will really enjoy Chemical Limbo. Perhaps the most upbeat track on Innerside, it is really focused on physical expression and interpersonal chemistry.

The last track Shimmering Sun serves as the perfect closing for an album that really is an expression about the feelings locked within an individual and their personal conflict on how to best express themselves. Again the violins return here in a backing middle eastern styled backing melody similar to the early 1990s "unleaded" cover of Led Zeppelin's Kashmir (as found on No Quarter: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Unledded).

Overall, I really wish that Baertsoen and Hillhorst (programming / keys) would have included even more backing strings into many of the tracks. Shimmering Sun and the other string pieces are good, but they could have been stronger with more strings. A more subdued use of strings is consistent with trip-hop music and does not take away from the story Kyoko is telling in Innerside. But a more prominent use of strings on the closing track could have better represented the resolution to her (the subject of the story) search of balancing inner feelings with outward expressions.

Recommended Tracks:
- Truth or Dare
- Surrender
- Chemical Limbo
- Shimmering Sun
- Outside

Similar Artists:
- Delerium
- Sarah McLachlan
- Claire Voyant
- The Cranberries
- Yendri

Track number two is fantastic, worth the Cd alone for that track!

This is one of my Favorite & most Intelligent purchases of the summer of 2005. I highly recommend you buy Mindstalking CD single, although Lunascape is so little known in North America & the USA. Vocalist Kyoko Baertsöen and her band are absolutely amazing and deserve the airplay of any band (whether it's mainstream music or lesser-played material).

With 10 tracks + a videoclip for "Mindstalking", this single is worth every penny & more! Kyoko echanted "Hooverphonic" fans in 1997, but she returned to working with Walter Hilhorst and that's when "Lunascape" was born. With an enchanting voice and striking features, Kyoko can be compared to Suzanne Vega, Sinead O'Connor or even Dolores O'Riordan (Cranberries). Based in Brussels, Belgium, Lunascape has made a great name for themselves all across Europe, parts of the USA & North America. Kyoko's voice is quaint and dainty and she charms her fans with her beautiful accent. Very seldom is heard, a mis-pronounced lyric in their songs. At first, I debated whether or not I should buy the CD because I came across their music while reviewing Conjure One's release "EXTRAORDINARY WAYS".

Taking a chance, I purchased this single + the "Reminiscence" compilation. I don't regret it because Lunascape is backed by the most enchanting female artist in my entire CD collection. Hopefully this review will bring the band more record sales & attention they so well deserve. Among the remixes of the title track, track #2 (Dave Audé Extended Vocal) is the best. The beat, body content & sound are exceptional. Dave Audé is a remix genius and you may be familiar with his remix of Annie Lennox' "Pavement Cracks". His remixes are moving, powerful and packed with dancefloor madness. The next time I visit the local club scene, I will suggest the Dave Audé Extended Vocal to the DJ. Everyone MUST hear this track.

The other remixes are great, but they don't move like track #2. Like "Banshee" wrote, you can't put this CD on repeat because you'll get tired of hearing the same body content...but it's really a great CD...or should I say "Album"? I prefer to call it an album or an "EP" because of the length of the CD. This is also another reason why I recommend it because it's long and not something which will end before you've blinked twice. "YAIRO" and "LANE NAVACHI" are fine and they offer a little break between the rest of the title tracks.

Tracklist:
01- Mindstalking (Single Edit) - 3:48
02- Mindstalking (Dave Audé Extended Vocal) - 8:02
03- Mindstalking (Dave Audé Dub) - 7:33
04- Lane Navachi (Dreamside Remix) - 4:28
05- Mindstalking (Funkella Remix) - 5:19
06- Mindstalking (Tapping the Vein Remix) - 4:18
07- Mindstalking (Jon Gill Remix) - 5:08
08- Yairo (Nico Lombardo Grooveshot Radio Edit) - 4:00
09- Mindstalking (ThouShaltNot Remix) - 4:02
10- Mindstalking (JD Sub's Solid VerZion) - 6:18
VISUAL CONTENT
11- Mindstalking (VideoClip)

Regarding the artwork...Kyoko is gorgeous & her eyes seem to burn into your mind when you look at the cover. Is it any wonder they chose such a cover shot for the title? :-) The rest of the artwork is very simple & polished. Being a black & white cover shot, the inner tray is deep sienna. Seems to be the background of the hallway in which Kyoko sits (on the front cover of "Reminiscence"). The CD itself is white with sort of a grey/black plaid design. Pretty neat! So...if you want to discover music worth listening to, go buy this single while it's hot! You won't regret it!

Fans of Lunascape around the world will love this Maxi-Single. Remixes of Lunascape's hit song 'Mindstalking' are upbeat and unusual, and the bonus remixes of 'Lane Navachi' and 'Yairo' add the perfect touch to this unusual compilation.

ACIDplanet.com recently held a Lunascape remix contest for this particular song, so any fan interested in hearing other remixes should check out the 'contests' section of this particular site to listen to over 500 submitted remixes!

Don't put this CD on repeat - you'll soon get a little sick of hearing the same song over and over again. Playing it with Lunascape's albums 'Reflecting Seyelence' and 'Mindstalking' make the perfect accompaniment.

Banshee [lunascape.retrogression.org]