Go backstage with The Music and receive FREE:

  • Exclusive members-only editorial, charts
  • Our subscriber-only newsletter
  • Members only competitions to win tickets, experiences and more
  • Access to our street press archives
  • First access to our exclusive limited edition vinyl variants

Thank you for being a part of our community! Enter your email address as verification and you'll be taken backstage right away.

Please ensure that you provide a valid email address.

Album Review: Gentleforce - Refuge From The Great Sadness

StarStarStarHalf Star

"'Refuge From The Great Sadness' is a beguiling wonderment."

Not someone exactly motivated at the thought of building Rome in a day, Sydney-based ambient explorer Eli Murray crafted Refuge From The Great Sadness over several years in Japan, London, Amsterdam and Sydney.

Its snail-paced evolution has led to a stunning harvest though, from the mystical undertones of opener Naoshima (God Is In The Water) to the emotional centrepoint of You Hold My Hand Through the Gate, a track seemingly touched by some paranormal lifeforce that radiates through its unusual harmonies and gentle throbs. Refuge From The Great Sadness is a beguiling wonderment.