New Age Children

Secret Garden's formula is plain to hear. They have the lush string orchestrations of Yanni, the layered vocals of Clannad and Enya, and the stage-show Celtica of Riverdance. In the past these elements have weighed down the music of Irish violinist Fionuala Sherry and Norwegian keyboardist Rolf Lovland with a sweetness that would make tiramisu taste like poi. On Dawn of a New Century, they finally dance closer to the line that divides schlock from serenity, beauty from the banal. Capercaillie singer Karen Matheson gives a haunting vocal performance on "Prayer," surrounded by Clannad-like harmonies. "Children of the River" is a cinematic expanse with Asian overtones, while "Lore of the Loom" swoops through orchestral landscapes that could be Ireland or Norway. But there's also the hokey faux-Baroque of "Divertimento" and the title piece, which could stand in for "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing."

Shadowfax. Nice name for a progressive rock band. At least that's how they started off. Named after Gandalf's a horse in Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings. They are often classified as new age, but their first album really wasn't, it was rather quite like a more rocking version of Oregon and had a mixture of hard and soft songs. And really their latter albums weren't completely although they lost some of their harder edge and devoted themselves to more mellow fair…

Working many late nights in the 2500 year old Swiss town of Basel, the two artists spun a creative tapestry of nautical sounds, electronic ambiences, and solid musicianship into a beautifully crafted album of journeys in the undersea world. Wanderer of the oceans, swimming peacefully for thousands of years. Between the continental shelf and sea level he changes color and pattern at will. Chameleon of the sea, this rare and beautiful fish leads a solitary life, wandering the depths of the world of Scubason…
Zeus Faber's 1993 debut, "Scubason", provides exactly what the album's name signifies: the sound of the deep. The duo's intertwining, often poignant keyboard lines combine with samples, environmental recordings and jazzy touches of bass, guitar, sax and flute for a mellow and otherworldly effect. An accomplished and creative debut…