Track Listing

1. Clear Skies Above the Coastline Cathedral
2. Summer of Freedom
3. Twilight
4. Tourmaline
5. Neon Reverie
6. Azure Vista

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #180692 in Music
• Released on: 2005-04-19
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .19 pounds

Customer Reviews

Whats missing in modern music
The first solo effort from Jonas Munk since the beautiful "Ascend" from awhile back.
Recent collaborations on such albums as "Golden Sun", and the dreamy "Into Forever" allowed Munk to show off his skills along with equally impressive producers such as Icebreaker International and Syntaks.
On "Azure Vista", Munk seems to have extended the journey he first took us all on with "Ascend", quite well in fact.
It seems as if this album is the one he's been wanting to make all along. Its just taken until now to do so.
Six amazing cuts on this album make for a must-have summer cd this year.
Although quite epic at times, Munk finds a way to bring us safely back down from the crashing surf right into the welcoming arms of the shore just in time to watch the sun set.

Catch The Breeze
In case you've missed out on the latest resurrection of a long-dead musical trend that was marginally popular to begin with ... shoegazing is back! Though some have redefined it as blisspop or dreampop, this emperor isn't fooled. Manual have eschewed the vocals (save some occasional hushed whispers), sticking with reverb-drenched guitars and keyboards to get their mellifluous point across. The 6 songs on Azure Vista stretch to over 45 minutes in combined length, mating the sonic sensibility of a Darla release with the breadth of a Kranky offering. If you recognize the references above and wish your Slowdive albums didn't have all that singing, then you already know songs like "Neon Reverie" and "Clear Skies Across The Coastline" are for you. Those who are familiar with Manual's previous works may find this one to be a bit of a departure, but it my mind it's just a step away from the electronics and more towards dreamy guitar soundscapes.

Good... but not the best of...
His albums: Acend, and Until Tomorrow are nearly leaps and bounds better in my opinion. Azure Vista is great because it shows he's still doing music that's great, but the richness and melodic textures and layered harmonies are just not as present in Azure Vista. Would like to hear more in the line of Mr. Munk's previous works... Those are of epic and timeless proportions.