This collection of songs was put together by US musician and producer, Geoffrey Armes, mainly from his 1980s output, evident in the predominant synth-pop influence. Many were written for friends and associates as well as relating to imaginary figures. Vocals are competent at best with occasional rather wobbly delivery which can grate on the listener. Nevertheless there are a number of good songs and instrumentals which stand out. "Snow Country" has a catchy beat, well-orchestrated embellishments and an emotive lyrical delivery for example.

Another example is "Love in your eyes" with its string effects and bubbly percussion making up an unusual and very effective arrangement for a basic love song. "Tudor" is a melancholic instrumental with brass and string effects and a bright wah-wah guitar part creating a kind of laid back calypso meets jazz feel and is followed by the reflective and dream-like "Across the Wall-Mirjam" which is one of the most interestingly constructed pieces on the album. The longer "Sprawling" with its fine acoustic guitar picking is perhaps the best of the more recent instrumental works which break up the songs on this release.

This is perhaps too personal a compilation to have very wide appeal but it does highlight an aspect of a dedicated artist whose work is worth investigating. Most of Geoffrey's back catalogue of music is available through CD Baby or Amazon, some, as this one, by download.


Track Listing 
1. Gong Li 
2. Snow Country 
3. Mother 
4. Love in your eyes 
5. March 5th 
6. Station Goodbye 
7. Kathleen 
8. Tudor 
9. Across the Wall-Mirjam 
10. Sprawling 
11. Give to the years 
12. Afternoon march 25

Added: November 3rd 2008
Reviewer: Richard Barnes
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Geoffrey’s newest CD, “Anima 91” contain songs and instrumentals he recorded in the 1980’s and 1990’s. With the music there is accompanying art in the Geoffrey has composed pieces about loved ones and world travels The songs are both intimate and organic, with the keyboard action the lasting effect on many of them. ‘Snow Country’ is the exception, as Thomas FitzPatrick lends guitar help. The instrumentals sometimes are weighed by the dullness of old drumbeats and the cut/paste of some sounds. ‘Gong Li’ name-checks the famed Asian actress, seeing her in the beginning of the song as a truly desirable woman, then later as the element of fire amidst Geoffrey’s light meditation on the other 3 basic elements of air, water and earth. Don’t blink while hearing his zen parable that introduces the song and CD ”All moments are components/A series of reactions/In an opening world”. “Snow Country” as does “Gong Li” both shine from its sense of realism in word and music design. I liken the subject’s description of place within Tokyo 1991 in “Snow Country” to the oft-repeated phrase ‘no man is an island’, Geoffrey truly in his zen state of no-man here. Many more surprises follow. Of equal weight are the uncredited drawings lending yet more dimension of word and color to Geoffrey’s songwriters’ palette. All of the drawings are Geoffrey’s and were done in the 1980s and 90s as well. Top pick of the 12 tracks is ‘Kathleen’. Only blemish are the drums that just thud….and doesn’t quite liven up the song, but otherwise a very good 2-verse tune. Also there’s the accompanying scrapbook picture awash in blue-green and black writing in German and English: “I was fooled (x4)/Two to know/Two to show/Two to throw it away” and “There are so many trees in Berlin”. Much to explore in lyric, audio and visual from the multi-instrumentalist Bristol UK native (verified as such by the inclusion of a pic of an old passport)
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I like this because it's a really mature voice revisiting songs written over a couple of decades. There's an interesting tension that makes for emotional and intellectually satisfying music.
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