Review Summary: A huge breath of fresh air...
The ideal ecovillage is a sustainable human settlement which is in harmony with all aspects of life, including the cultural, ecological, and spiritual dimensions (not your average campfire).
As far as we know, the first appearance of the word “ecovillage” was in the preparation for a Gaia Trust seminar in Thy, Denmark in September 1991. The seminar brought together for the first-time representatives of several very different projects that the Gilmans had identified around the world for use in their commissioned report “Ecovillages and Sustainable Communities: A Report for Gaia Trust” (Gaia.org).
The projects identified varied from well-established settlements like Solheimer in Iceland, Findhorn in Scotland, Crystal Waters in Australia, Lebensgarten in Germany to places like The Farm in Tennessee and Los Angeles Ecovillage project to places like the Folkecenter for Renewable Energy.
Ecovillage comes in to end this chaotic year with an excellent entry: "Clouds and Waves".
Somehow the term “sustainable communities” just did not convey the right message, we all know it... A new term was required to express what we really need the most.
All of these projects had a similar vision of living in small communities that were both fun to live in and at the same time were closely connected to nature and spirit and exemplified the need to live more lightly on the Earth. Finally, we have the real artistic expression for "Ecovillage".
Where to begin... "I Remember You ft. Joe Frawley" delivers so key moments, like a melancholic piano and sad violins on the distance... You can hear them grow with sounds of wind and water on the background. This just seems like the place to go to if you are searching for peace after so much chaos.
Jackson´s “The Ecovillage Movement,” puts the whole phenomenon into a broader, political perspective:
“…Many ecovillages have been created by people who want a more spiritual lifestyle. A change in consciousness is often a factor in choosing such a lifestyle” (Jackson, 2004).
"Letting Go Of All Things ft. Ludvig Cimbrelius" is, in my humble opinion, the strongest track here. The most beautiful choirs i´ve listened this year... This choirs wave in the distance while a strong guitar and piano share their agony... but gently... Slowly transforming into a melody that mirrors some work of William Basinski and Brian Eno. What is remarkable is the mood Ecovillage creates in the climax of the track. Its just magical.
Overall, i think this is a solid album that give this year a huge breath of fresh air.
