eM: all the stars burning bright eM: all the stars burning bright (the Foundry - 2001) Foundry founder, eM not only shoots for the heavens, but achieves them, with a beguiling vision of spacemusic in its more abstract forms, as that vast unexplored enigma should be portrayed. Not just a stream of synthesized starsheen, all the stars burning bright paints slightly rough-hewn pictures to freefall into. Go nebula diving! Expansive a dream of summer stars (10:27) is celestial without being squeaky clean, murky without being oppressive; tonal hints slip through pretenatural shapeshifting occurences. Respiratory lightwaves seem to ripple across parsecs as if expelled from some sun-sized lungs; later bleeps are submerged in some cyberorganic liquid. Trilling notes sporadically spew into the rumbling void of starswarm (5:21). The shapelessly billowing groans of burning bright are followed by the subtle sweltering of gorgeously obscure between. Closing (precisely) an hour of supergalactic transcendence, beyond the shoal of stars glimmers in soft strands of droning undulations. In eight transportive movements, all the stars burning bright explores the mysterious essences of space via both beauty and noise, without becoming too bogged down in either. An 8.7 to eM for this captivating balance of astrophysical phenomena and almost-music. See the Foundry and/or Hypnos for much more. This review posted November 4, 2001 AmbiEntrance © 2001-1997 by David J Opdyke (except CD cover art, rights retained by original owners).