Interventionby Helen Jane Long

This is my first review of a Helen Jane Long album. Overall, I'm a fan of her music. Hers is a sort of 'modernized' classical music with very good attention to detail. This album has some strong stringed-instruments, both plucked and played with the bow, which fill out extra space between the notes of her usual piano playing. There's also some of what sounds like nylon-string guitar in some places - a stylistic choice which I further applaud. My favorites are "The Aviators" and "Intervention." I would describe this music as contemplative, gentle but expansive. It's very soothing music and I find it very helpful both in creating calm in my life, and also raising the frequency of my energy. If you know what that means, great. If not, you should look into it.

The one place where I take issue with this album is a philosophical point. Judging by the album art, I would assume the intention behind this music is very religious. The two feathered wings which appear to have been torn-off of someone by vines suggests the prototypical, fundamental christian dogma, that in essence nature is the enemy and/or opposite of divinity, that it is sinful, and that it serves as an impenetrable wall always preventing us from truly reaching true, spiritual virtue. The two crucifixes formed by the t's in the title only make that seem more likely. And really, that's disgusting. That sort of unhealthy, anti-natural philosophy should be rejected and shunned by any self-respecting human being. Of course, it was invented to effectively make the common wo/man's mind into a cage, and it's been around for ages, so unfortunately it's not going anywhere without quite a bit of effort. More to the point, though, if it weren't for that little point of contention, I'd likely have given this album a five-star review.

Overall I give it three out of five stars. It's very enjoyable music, though its simple, eloquent natural beauty is tragically betrayed by the pious intentions with which it was apparently written.