Music: OceanLab "Sirens of the Sea" [2008]

So I may be 6 years late for this review, but the truth is I actually did not purchase this album until this year. I have not gotten around to buying it til now..oops! But what can I say, a brilliant album is a brilliant album. OceanLab is the alias of Above & Beyond, a British DJ trio, along with the angelic voice of Justine Suissa. If you have not heard of her yet, please take a moment to do so. She has a very soothing voice worth checking out. So far, Sirens of the Sea is the one and only release under OceanLab and I am not counting the remix album, which I should review next.

 I first heard this album back in 2009, but for some odd reason did not really enjoy it too much. Afterall, it's not exactly "trance" music, I'd say more of a "dance" vibe to it, as well as during that year I've been morphing into a trance fan, so I was kind of concentrating on discovering new acts. It's been recently that I started loving this album, and hence why I ended up purchasing it so late.


After listening to this quite a lot of times, I've noticed the beauty within this album and that truly it is a masterpiece. OceanLab has been around since year 2001, where they released singles here and there, until they actually decided to release this album. Besides this album, there are few other tracks that do not appear on this album, but have their own single releases.

Sirens of the Sea is one of my 5-star rated albums on Discogs, and that's why I decided to review it. If you've never heard this album, then I hope this review will do its justice in describing the greatness of it. So here we go:

Just Listen
This track starts off simply with a piano intro which continues throughout the song and then eventually Justine Suissa begins singing. It's a chill out piano track that has a soothing vibe to it.

Sirens of the Sea
One of my favorite OceanLab tracks, it is very dreamy, soft, yet upbeat. The lyrics are just superb and very memorable. One of those where you can start singing the chorus and others will know that instant which song that is.

If I Could Fly
I'd say this is the first track on this album that is fully considered as a dance track. It is quite on the simple side, it is very light and bouncy. Kind of makes your worries go away, feeling like you could fly...

Breaking Ties
This is a more downtempo track, which features a guitar and piano as two of the instruments. It's sort of airy and atmospheric. Also it almost feels like an acoustic track if few of the sounds were taken out.

Miracle
Another ambient-ish/downtempo track, it just flows very nicely, Justine's soft vocals are accompanied by a piano and few other soothing sounds. It's a very relaxing track, if you're in the mood to just kick back and chill. I'd say there's not much difference from the acoustic version released in 2014!

Come Home
 A full dance track that just gets to the point right away, without a long intro. The lyrics pretty much sum up the girl did not mean to say what she said and wants the guy to come. Pretty good flowy lyrics!

On A Good Day
This is probably one of the best known tracks by OceanLab, only based on the fact that the mashup "On A Good Day (Metropolis)" hit it so big when it was released. The album version is a light dance version, bouncy bass, sweet piano riffs, and those unforgettable vocals. I must say tho, nothing beats that mashup! The lyrics get engraved into one's memory, because once someone starts singing the chorus, another person finishes them pretty easily. "And it feels like me...on a good day" :)

Ashes
 For some reason this track makes me feel as if I was underwater, not to mention the lyrics are about water, boats, and things like that. It is very echo-y and light, which probably creates that feeling.

I Am What I Am
 Another downtempo track, basically talking about the fact that you can't change another person because they are who they are. Can't say this is personally my favorite track, but the lyrics are actually quite good.

Lonely Girl
There's not many dance-y songs on this album, but this is another one. It has a steady beat, and a memorable riff.

Secret
 A very slow track tempo-wise, with a minimal beat. Justine's vocals are very soft on this track to compliment the music.

On The Beach
 This track screams vacation! In the beginning it sounds like you are at the airport, this very chill out song is perfect to listen to while on vacation and just chill out to it. It is very relaxing, guitar-oriented, with some piano added to it, and very slow beat.

Breaking Ties (Flow Mix)
Lastly, this is a remix of one of the earlier tracks on this album. I have to say that I do prefer this one over the original.


This album is a mix of downtempo and dance tracks, although it seems like there are less dance tracks in total. It is a great album regardless, so if this type of music is something that you listen to already then it will be perfect for you.

Hope you all enjoy!
See you next time :)