NOVEMBER 2007

Pop Ambient 2007

The latest release in Kompakt's perennial Pop Ambient series presents ten tracks by as many artists working in the field of electronic bliss. The unifying idea in this compilation is the presence of a beat -- though very much in the background -- and often some discernable melody, if only in small fragments. Wolfgang Voigt, Thomas Fehlmann, Ulf Lohmann, Klimek and others provide otherworldly territory where large tones, huge swaths of airy synthesizer, slowly rise and fall to create a kind of motion. Pieces come and go without resolution and without any jarring differences between tracks. The dreamy effect is like lying on a beach on a deserted tropical island, or gliding through miles of tunnel in a car. There's nothing not to like on this disc, and that's just the way it's supposed to be.

 

ADULT
Why Bother?

With monster mash riffs, yelping vocals and cheap keyboard rhythms the Detroit-based husband and wife duo of ADULT show what can be done without an excess of equipment. Why Bother? Is a tweaked, new wave haunted house of a record. Nicola Kuperus' vocals are shrouded in reverb amidst out-of-left field bleeps and dive bombs and periodic fuzz guitar. In "You Don't Worry Enough" someone kicks a guitar amp to get a ray gun effect out of its reverb. Despite quick tempos the sound -- particularly the guitar line in "Plagued by Fear" -- occasionally harkens back to early goth. The feeling of gloom is more German cabaret than castle Dracula though. Simple technology has limitations, and for those not fans of the lo-fi aesthetic the similarity of beats can get tiring as the machines keep ticking away. This can make it seem there isn't much distinguishing one song from another.

 

The Earlies
The Enemy Chorus

With members half British and half Texan, The Earlies might be expected to make an album like this - psychedelic pop that's rather big, slow and reserved. Speaking of England, there's a pronounced Beatles influence on the disc as well. There are some sweet vocal moments, and some parts, such as the choral sections on "The Ground We Walk on," have a Flaming Lips-like grandeur. One horn section sounds like a not do progressive rock, while only two tracks away is a tune of southern gospel. Thought The Earlies have absorbed their influences well, the band never really cuts loose to deliver something unexpected. The playing is competent if tame, with an emphasis mostly on atmosphere. Still, this might be exactly what fans of eclectic mellow rock with ample vocal harmonies are looking for.

 

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