Posted on: March 24, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Ahn Trio – Lullaby For My Favorite Insomniac / 2008 Sony BMG / 16 Tracks / http://www.sonybmgmasterworks.com / http://www.ahntrio.com /

Individuals may not know who exactly the Ahn Trio are. They have been around in some form or another for the last 20 years, when Time Magazine called them “Asian Whizz-kids”. Their releases have been scattered over the course of these last twenty years, with their last album being 2002’s “Groovebox”. The disc starts out with their “Dies Irie”, a track that mixes equal parts atmospheric and classic in the creation of a compelling tone for the early segments of the disc.

The second track on the disc is “Magic Hour”, which provides listeners with a more sedate side of the Ahn Trio. “Magic Hour” is much more of a track destined for a soundtrack; the soft compositions and gossamer lines that the Trio put down here even give individuals a flair for the Asiatic. “My Funny Valentine” starts off in a way diametrically opposed to the music first heard on “Magic Hour”. This is done through bassy lines and a more halting set of arrangements. By providing individuals with these two faces of the Ahn Trio, the Trio themselves has an incredible range of styles and sounds that they can take with the last fourteen tracks on the disc. The title track on “Lullaby For My Favorite Insomniac” shows a track in which the Ahn Trio move away from the most narrative type of musical arrangements to something more instrumentally-lead. It is during “Lullaby For My Favorite Insomniac” that the act shows that they can take on different styles and genres when the need arises.

The last segment of “Lullaby For My Favorite Insomniac” has a number of remixes that provide individuals with another context with which to take the Ahn Trio. This means that there are different mixes of “Lullaby For My Favorite Insomniac”, “Song on the Land”, “This Is Not America”, and “My Funny Valentine”. The re-release of “Lullaby For My Favorite Insomniac” provides individuals with the material that they need to stave their desires off; when the Ahn Trio comes out with their next album, individuals will remember fondly the compositions here. The music that they play may not be what is appreciated on pop or rock radio, but individuals with a more cultured sense of music appreciation will be able to dig what is present on this disc. Pick up the album, see one of their performances, and be impressed by this new brand of classical music.

Top Tracks: Magic Hour, Oblivion

Rating: 6.8/10

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