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September/October 2007 (A-Z)
Artist: Michael Brook
This former collaborator of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois has made his name in more recent years with soundtracks, notably for the films An Inconvenient Truth and Into The Wild. On Bellcurve don't expect the same ethno-ambient exotica of classics like Hybrid (1985) and you'll probably enjoy it more. It's a more mainstream sound with clear, easy chord progressions and, unsurprisingly, a cinematic sweep. While Brook's trademark processed guitar sounds still help distinguish his music they are decidedly less weird on epic ambient rock tracks like "Scissors Paper Rock" and the slow quasi blues shuffle of "Lightstar II". Children's choir and Christian devotional singing spice up the mix nicely, as do dashes of Eastern and African melody and instrumentation. A good if non-essential release. Rating: 3/5
Artist: Grains Of Sound
These two Americans are known in underground club and festival circles for frighteningly intense industrial sounds made under the name Mindless Faith. Judging from the quality of these two new ambient albums there’s a gentler aspect to the duo that goes beyond a bit of doodling on the side. Although words like psychedelia are used in the Grains Of Sound media release, these albums aren't based on the dubby, bottom-heavy and Mid-Eastern sounds associated with psy-chill, although there is the occasional nod to psy-trance. Technologically the production is bang up date but stylistically there are strong echoes of classic ambient “techno” as embodied by 90's labels like Silent and Instinct Ambient. Which makes it all rather timeless. The music is mysterious and beautiful without even trying and the duo builds harmonies with skill and restraint. Volume 1 is more beat orientated than Volume 2 and both are exquisitely spacey. Rating: both 4/5
Artist: Kerry Leimer
Established experimental composer Kerry Leimer has been making some highly accessible albums in recent years, music that celebrates tonality while still informed by his academic approach and the spirit of the classical avant-garde. The Useless Lesson draws on a myriad of sources and attaching a label any more specific than "ambient" would be unfair. It’s bathed in ravishing neo-classical sounds, a kind of ambient chamber music bridged by droning synth passages, luminous atmospheric loops and some minimalist, bubbling melodies. The album title comes from the composer's fascination with concept I don't really understand - learning as a wasteful exercise, illogical choices, or something - but good luck to you if that enriches your experience. Either way this album is a dignified, beautiful work of art that can be appreciated on a number of levels. Rating: 4/5
Artist: Natural Frequencies
Natural Frequencies was the downtempo pseudonym of the late Andreas Leifield. This German musician and producer was a legendary figure in Frankfurt's dance music scene in the 1990's and was completely unknown to me until this CD came my way. I don’t know if his untimely death in February this year makes Tranquility In Motion any more poignant but the album does show a wonderful gift for warm, gentle, melodic minimalism. Two long tracks are the album's high points. “Dreaming” pulses gently along as Leifeld brings melodic lines in and out of focus, the aural equivalent of a camera lens shifting back and forth between sharp and blurry. The Indian raga-inspired “Inside” loops a simple drum signature and several sitar melodies into infinity, yet the sitar lines seem to fade and re-appear in slightly different relative positions to each other. The result feels like music that is constantly unfolding and the effect is utterly hypnotising. The album’s second half leaves repetitive minimalist ideas behind for more beatless landscapes, sometimes euphoric and expansive, at others slightly ominous. Tranquility In Motion is a deeply personal work, at best derivative of no one yet accessible to anyone with a modicum of interest in ambient sound. Rating: 4/5
Artist: Shulman
Four albums in and Israel psy-chill duo Shulman are still treading their own distinctive path through downtempo electronica. With its mixture of crisp beats, Arabic flavours, shimmering chords and geometric shapes Endless Rhythms works best when it follows a melodic line; a couple of glitchy, squawky tracks come off as decidedly cold. Genre cliches are generally avoided and most programmed sounds seem original, commendable in the current climate of recycled samples on many downtempo psy releases. The bouncy reggae-Arabic fusion of "Mia Nihta Mono Den Ftani" sounds positively poppy against the other material here - perhaps an uplifting closer from their live shows? The album's shining jewel is the 12-minute “Transmissions In Bloom", a haunting and inspired exploration around a simple chord progression with melodic contributions from electric guitar, vocal chants and Moroccan wind. It's a stunning track, high on the all-important goosebump factor, building and unfolding with such a profound sense of longing you don’t want it to end. Rating: 3.5/5
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