AmbientMusicGuide.com

Coming from a UK production duo (Chris Marigold and Leo Wyndham) that was previously known for their drum 'n' bass tunes, The Six Million Names Of God is an unexpected and deeply trippy shot out of the...well, blue.

Describing an album as being like a movie in your head is hardly an original way of talking about music, but it really does apply here. It's also the duo's first "official" album. They used to release singles in the the 1990's on LTJ Bukem's Good Looking Records, the all-conquering drum 'n' bass label which subsequently angered the duo by releasing the compilation Producer 03 without their permission and thus sparking a messy legal separation. Too bad, because that album is a fine atmospheric genre record and is well worth seeking out.

The Six Million Names Of God, however, is their masterpiece and what a wondrous and mysterious thing it is. Sounds range from the folksy Latin-flavoured guitar of the opening track "Home Videos" to deeply textured ambient pop landscapes, crisp beats, Eastern drones and weird cinematic interludes. It moves along like a surreal book or movie: you know it's good, you just don't quite know what it's all about. Take the "The Date" for instance. It's awash with gorgeously subtle keys, orchestral washes, saxophone and a dreamy, dislocated female vocal. It captures the album's richly melodic essence, yet you couldn't call it typical because no one track here sounds like any of the others.

The album is a seamless experience, generally mellow and packed with detail. There's no line here between the acoustic and electronic worlds: it has disappeared completely and utterly.

While Blu Mar Ten has since gone on to record a house-flavoured album and then return to drum 'n' bass territory, The Six Million Names Of God remains one of the most compelling downtempo releases of the new millennium's first decade.

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