Hello everyone, and welcome to the first KPMPK1001 review! For this review, I have decided to look at one of my favorite library albums of all time and one that might be seen as one of the most underrated library albums of all time. That album being the Impress album, IA 379.
IA 379 was first published in 1966 and features 13 tracks on the album. 11 of the tracks were written by library music legend, Syd Dale. The final two tracks were written by Julia Woolf (the alias of Vivian Ellis), and German composer Paul Kühmstedt.
I was introduced to this album thanks in part to the track Open Prairie. I was first introduced to the track by an NFL Films VHS tape when they used the piece at the end of the film “Super Sunday: A History of the Super Bowl”. I then did research and found out the name of the track and where it came from. This tape introduced me to the world of Library Music and the many libraries that are in it. This track also introduced me to the Impress music library.
Favorite Tracks: My favorite tracks off of this album are Open Prairie and Gang Warfare. Open Prairie opens the album off with a bombastic, and cinematic feel as it creates a soundscape of the Wild West. I also like to relate this track to the sense of accomplishment and achievement due to the track having a grand feel. This track is one of my favorite pieces of library music.
The other track, Gang Warfare, is also one of my favorite pieces of library music. It creates a soundscape of tension, drama, and suspense thanks in part to the high BPM of the track and the song being in a minor key. The song has a jazz feel to it while also implementing the usage of strings in the piece. It’s a great track and one I feel should be used as an introduction to the Impress label.
But that doesn't mean that the other tracks aren't noteworthy. In fact, many of the tracks on the album have a sort of KPM feel to them. For example, Industrial Turmoil feels like a track that was lifted from the KPM 78's/Brownsleeves, as it reminds me of the track Rescue Squad, also by Syd Dale.
With the recent digitization of the Impress catalog on APM, this is one album I certainly can’t wait to see on there. Overall, this album gets a 9/10. A good album for anyone who wants to get into library music and the Impress library. But, what do you guys think of this album? I'll leave the album here for you guys to decide.
Here is the album in it's entirety (Thanks to Greta for the rip!): hxxps://pixeldrain.com/u/iHWhRquJ
Thank you all very much for reading and I'll see you guys in the next review!
