Good but not great follow up.
William J. Walker | England | 10/08/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I should state from the outset that I was hugely impressed by this band's previous album(Brightblack Morning Light)and loved its slinky sinuous rhythms and laid back grooves. If you are at all interested in this group get that album now. If you heard that album and didn't like it that much or, come to think of it, even if you did enjoy it, I can't really recommend this album with any conviction.
The problem is not just that the sound is essentially the same as their previous release but it lacks the variety of tone and rhythm, in particular, the percussion has been mixed into the background as to be lost in the murk and the first four songs are barely distinguishable from one another. It's not all bad and if I hadn't heard the first album I might be won over by the Pink Floyd-like sounds of tracks five and six or tolerated the similarities in some of the tracks more readily. Taken in isolation I could see myself giving this album four stars instead of three.
Unusually for me I ordered this at the first opportunity because I was really looking forward to hearing it, so it is a shame to have to report my disappointment. I do suggest checking out their Brightblack Morning Light album though."
Wildly, recklessly, fatally, astonishingly ... dim, dismal a
ospengler | Los Angeles | 01/22/2009
(1 out of 5 stars)
"What Brightblack Morning Light accomplish here is a nigh-miraculous landslide victory of duration over content.
It's easy to imagine that the musicians, having finished recording, went home, woke up, and said to themselves, "Holy sh_t, I think I might have been in the studio earlier." There is nothing here that indicates the intrusion of consciousness at any point during its conception or recording, nor will the listener -- to the degree s/he is imbued with any level of consciousness -- be able to maintain it while waiting for this CD to end.
Were the band's back-story not available, the listener might entertain a theory that some local music store had invited random non-musicians to come in off the street, sit down with the nearest instrument, and jam for a few hours while someone made a recording. The recording would then be transferred to this CD at half speed and sold as "Brightblack Morning Light."
The CD -- the audio equivalent of staring at one's shoe for an hour -- may well have its fans. On the other hand, if the listener is sufficiently anesthetized to enjoy this CD, s/he'd probably also be perfectly indifferent to all forms of bodily injury. They'd be great in a bar fight if only they could lift their arms."
Atmosphere w/o substance
Max M. | los angeles, ca United States | 10/13/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I too was a fan of the first record, but this one isn't working for me on the same level.......It's basically ambient music w/very little substance......No subtle dynamics this time (or maybe they're just way too subtle) and like the previous reviewer said, it's sounds pretty much all the same.....It really could be outtakes from the first album.......A exceptionally lazy effort especially for a second record......"
Track Listings (9) - Disc #1