Max Richter - From Sleep

Modern classical composer Max Richter’s love letter to sleep, both through the perspective of himself and his children, holds a really beautiful and universally-resinent sentiment. With the original a full 8hr piece (designed to be listened to through a full sleep cycle), its sister album From Sleep cuts this down into a succinct hour of stargazing, with an offering of wondrous and truly meditative modern classical music. Its very linear in its structure, letting the individual pieces ride out over extended periods of time, giving the music a real dreamy and tranquil feeling. The music within this record is a lot more dense and diverse than I thought it would be, with thick string sections and looping vocals leading many of these arrangements, giving the whole album a very subaquatic feeling at points.

While it seems to start stronger than it finishes, Max Richter’s From Sleep evokes all the qualities of a good night’s rest, without ever truly putting you to sleep. It’s a beautifully calming and self-reflective experience.

KEY TRACK: Dream 3 - just an absolutely gorgeous piece which sets the album up beautifully, with a constantly looking piano chord progression and wailing strings appearing in and out of the soundscape adding a lot of tone and character.