Search - Various :: Listening Pearls Volume1

Like a little sushi bar of chilled raw downtempo

Michael Martine | Montpelier, VT United States | 04/27/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of those rarer collections you don't often find at a store or heavily promoted. Having it is like having a secret potion for your musical afternoon delight. Overall, this is a good collection of tunes. It starts out with Alphawezen's "System 1", which is great cuz of the real slow way it begins and builds up. I like this one so much that I want to get more work by Alphawezen. "Journey to a Star" by Lemongrass seems a little jarring after something so smooth. "Only One," by Q-Point, is completely forgettable, with inane high-school lyrics. Another standout track is Geb.el's "Love from the Sun", with breathy vocals and summery synths like some kind of beach cliche, except it doesn't sound like beach music. Nor Elle's "Sunset Print" is really great if you're just about to fall asleep, and Bad Meets Evil (feat. Eminem & Royce 5'9") is menacing while maintaining a chill downtempo sense of itself."