Some say music is life.

I disagree. I say life is music, ever-changing in its form and style. It can be a slow ballad one day, or a reel the next. It can be a challenging concerto or a short, sweet sonata. Hard rock, rap, jazz, the blues -- all are part of the daily dance.

And what we do with the music we find is apply it to the appropriate point in our lives. There are days when I want to listen to folk, days when I want rock, and days that I just want something to fill the silence.

Kyle Swager's The Other Side of Words falls into the latter category. The guitar-driven, electronica-based album isn't really notable for memorable songs or meaningful compositions, but it does just fine as background filler or mood music.

An electric-guitar driven combination of electronica/trance, Swager sometimes sounds like an acid mix of guitarists Craig Chaquico or Neal Schon. Some Web sites (including his own) compare him with Pink Floyd and Peter Gabriel, but when it comes to this album, I strongly disagree. About the only similarity he has with Pink Floyd is the psychedelia of his music, and even there, Floyd has him beat, hands down. And Gabriel is in a league of his own.

The music is fine in its own right, though it could easily get lost in the multitude of new-agey releases on the market.

Outstanding tracks include "On The Inside Looking Out," "Reality Within," and "Reflections Through Passages," though there's nothing on this album that will offend the ear.

On the other hand, the music of Wildest Dreams is a funky, upbeat blend of reggae, African, calypso and pop that blends driving rhythms with a jazzy brass section, synthesizers and bold vocals.

Peace Planet, the Boston-based band's second CD, is a 17-track exercise in positive thinking, kind of like Stuart Smalley with a backup band. The band tackles world peace, gang violence, spousal abuse, environmentalism, rejection, self-confidence and depression.

The melodies have a decidedly 80s sound, and although most of the arrangements are interesting, the lyrics are sometimes a bit trite, even when they carry a very serious message:

Living together --
loving forever --
It's now or never
Make the change --
do your part --
from your heart.

I'd rather hear the band jam on instrumentals than listen to some of the vocals -- they're much more gifted as musicians than lyricists. Still, one can't fault this talented group for putting out music with a positive message. More bands should follow in their footsteps, especially considering the wars that are consuming the world.

Standouts on this album are "Guinean Harvest/Evolution" and "Face of Love."