Music: Above & Beyond "Acoustic" [2014]

My first music blog post has to be about Above & Beyond, a trance DJ trio from UK and their recent album release Acoustic, which was released on January 28th, 2014. They are no strangers to the trance scene, they are very popular and own a music label Anjunabeats, which is pretty much my favorite label. But what struck me the most was their album release, in which they took a break from EDM and hopped onto the acoustic/orchestra bandwagon and totally blew me away! So here's the deal:

Towards the end of 2013, Above & Beyond had a mini acoustic tour in both the United States and United Kingdom. On October 12th and 13th they performed in The Greek Theater in Los Angeles, and I believe in December they performed four nights in a row in Porchester Hall in United Kingdom. One of the nights from Porchester Hall was filmed and documented by THUMP, and later aired as a Livestream on YouTube.

I tuned in on January 24th, 2014 for the Livestream on YouTube, I've missed the first track, but I was able to catch the rest. Above & Beyond performed 12 well-known tracks with their 24-piece orchestra. The tracks were either from Above & Beyond or their side project OceanLab. They had three live vocalists, from which one was Zoe Johnston who sang her own songs. Then there was Alex Vargas in place of Richard Bedford, honestly they really do sound very similar. And then Annie Drury in place of Justine Suissa. Annie was absolutely great, but of course, Justine Suissa would be perfect!

Their studio album was released on January 28th, in stores and online. I finally got a hold of it yesterday and I was super excited! So I decided I should write a little review on it.

Miracle
The album starts off with this soft, beautifully coordinated song. It gives us an idea ahead of time what the rest of the album will sound like. (OceanLab)

You Got To Go
This is one of the newer songs featuring Zoe Johnston. She sounded exactly the same live as she does on this album. I can't say I'm a huge fan of this song, but it still sounds great. (Above & Beyond)

Satellite / Stealing Time
When I heard this track I instantly knew it would be my favorite one from this album. Not only that Satellite is one of my favorite tracks from OceanLab, but the fact that this is a mashup, an acoustic mashup just blew me away! This is seriously the best thing I've heard!! (OceanLab/Above & Beyond)

Thing Called Love
This is the first full track that Alex Vargas performed on this album. The original is highly popular along with Sun & Moon by fans. The acoustic version is very simple, but that's what makes it beautiful.  (Above & Beyond)

Can't Sleep
Starts off very lightly but once the chorus hits there is more power to this track. It is beautifully performed by Annie Drury. I absolutely loved the piano parts in this. (Above & Beyond)

Sun & Moon
While watching this on the YouTube Livestream, this was probably the most talked about song. One person after another kept asking if they will be playing it. The lyrics to this song are genius, Alex Vargas sounds very similar to Richard Bedford as well.  (Above & Beyond)

Good For Me
Starts of a little atmospheric, at least Zoe Johnston makes it sound like that. It is a very light acoustic version, just like the original. Towards the end it gets a little jazzy. (Above & Beyond)

Sirens of the Sea
Another OceanLab favorite of mine, I just love love love the beginning & end of this track! Annie Drury did a great job with this, and the orchestra just sounds so amazing. I love the sudden change and the accidentals on this track. (OceanLab)

Love Is Not Enough
I was never really a fan of this track, the acoustic is not bad at all, but I can't say that this is my favorite. Maybe through time it will grow on me. Til then, we shall see! (Above & Beyond)

On A Good Day
No matter what shape or form this track takes, it will always be awesome. The acoustic for this is beautiful, there is actually a similar one already released as a Above & Beyond Acoustic Mix in 2010, but it was just piano and vocals. This one features a full orchestra and Annie's vocals. I love love this! (OceanLab)

Alone Tonight
In my opinion, this was the most powerful performance of the night. I just love how Alex Vargas performed it with so much power, and how the sound of this track goes between soft to a full on orchestra powered energetic song. (Above & Beyond)

Making Plans
At the end of their show, the whole entire orchestra got up and only Above & Beyond and their violinists stayed to perform this track. It is a brand new track, which will probably be featured on their upcoming album later this year. I really like the idea they worked on for this track. A&B playing the piano while being accompanied by violins. (Above & Beyond)



 And if you're wondering why I kept writing "Above & Beyond" or "OceanLab" after every mini track review, that's because I wanted to make it clear who the original belonged to. And if you are not familiar with neither of these, the look right below to see the difference.

Who is Above & Beyond?
Above & Beyond is a DJ trio from United Kingdom, it consists of Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness, and Paavo Silijamaki. They formed in 2000, and are also the founders of the well known EDM label Anjunabeats. They're also known for their radio show Trance Around The World, which in 2012 was replaced by their new radio show Group Therapy, titled after their second album.

Who is OceanLab?
OceanLab is basically: Above & Beyond + Justine Suissa. Justine is a vocalist from United Kingdom who first stepped into the dance music scene in 2000 after being featured on a Chicane track.

Thanks for stopping by!
See ya :)