Gal Gracen - Fantasy Gardens

Written by Francis Baptiste

Fantasy Gardens is a serene and dreamlike collection of songs. The instrumental pieces are particularly soothing. Songs like Winds Of Solace, Pillars of Sand and Orffesque Redux are so relaxing and new age that it’s practically meditation music. With influences like Enya, Carl Orff, and Gheorghe Zamfir it’s no surprise that this album sounds so zen-like at time.

While the instrumental parts make for a great listening experience, the songs with lyrics are equally as entertaining, and often a bit more upbeat. While the opening track, Arcadia, definitely has a bohemian vibe to it, She’s the Queen, Today or Tomorrow, and Deep Prismatic Wave are noticeably more upbeat. It provides a good change of pace and creates a good flow from track to track. 

Overall, there’s a tranquil quality to the entire album. A lot of it is passive and non-intrusive, like something you’d hear in an elevator or on hold waiting for customer service. That’s not intended as a criticism. It’s unequivocally pleasing to the ear. It’d make good ‘focus’ music, something you’d put on in your headphones at work, or put on in the background while painting a room.