This is not yer average rock album, but it's not a DJ "sampled" album either -- there are real guitars in loop, and breathy vocals muttered and almost buried beneath the drones. It's not an album to slam dance to, nor is it an album to rave to.

I guess this is "post-rock", that gray middle area between traditional rock (with songs about things like falling into/out of love, hatred, etc.) and disco (or techno or whatever they are calling it this week -- you know, dance music). In this gray area, songs are paintings -- layers of different sonic textures that don't necessarily tell a story so much as describe an event. These songs don't compel you to move, rather, they compel you to reflect.

And that's what i like at this point in my life -- music that i can just be alive to, and not be modified by. It is as if i have a peaceful detente with the music -- i take something from it, but it does not overpower me. We coexist.

This is a really good album for that kind of stuff. Just coexisting that is. The music is layers of drones, beats, guitar noises, feedback, and breathy vocals all swirling around you as you sit on the couch.

Now, i listen to a lot of "that type" of music and i would rate this album as a superior example of the genre. Why? Well basically because it's all about balance. No one element ever overpowers any of the others -- they all work together to create a harmonious whole. It's not just about the feedback, or the tape loops, or the voice, but all of them working together.

Which brings me to my next point -- i can imagine fellow-minion Malimus reading this and thinking "Ack, feedback!" and then running in terror when i fetch the album out to listen to. However, let me advise caution here. Because the album is balanced, there are some songs that feedback-enemies would hate, like Islands or Chemicals, and there are some light airy guitar songs that even Mrs. Malimus might find charming, like Suncatcher or Tides. And heck, the tunes Dark Wind and Dust could, with the right club DJ tweaking, be a lot of fun out there on the dance floor!

So really, there is something for everybody here. No matter what your mood, you can find something on this album to compliment it. That is why i rate it so highly.