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Review:
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Yellow6 has become my favorite ambient guitarist
of late. This is his latest effort, and apparently he is now
branching out and exploring the piano as well. In fact, it is
almost 3 minutes into the second track of the disc before the
guitar even really kicks in! For Yellow6, that seems almost
like an eternity, and yet, his pianowork is pleasant and entertaining,
so you don't mind so much.
His pianowork is also very minimal. In fact, overall, this
is probably the most minimalistic of all Yellow6 releases. Beats
pulse, the guitar echoes lightly, and piano is scattered about.
All very sparse, and tranquil.
The thing is this -- i enjoy this album. I put it on when i
need to sit and study, or just relax with a good book. However,
there is very little that stands out about it. It is purely
ambient -- mellow, calm, smooth. This is not to say that it
is bad, but rather to say that the whole thing works together,
and that, for the most part, no one moment stands above the
rest.
For the most part. After many repeated listens, i can point
to three tracks that are, in fact, slightly ahead of the rest.
Made of Glass is constructed out of that great, complex
Yellow6 guitarwork. He really plays amazingly well here, with
gobs of distortion and effects. The aptly named Loop (Part
Two) gets a really good beat going, the drum machine looping
back on itself and building to an awesome drone. Finally, the
album ends with a reprise of Piano Song, which is simply
lovely keyboardwork. It is slow, almost ponderous, and the natural
echo of the piano is used to great effect. A truly lovely song,
and it just sort of fades out, ending the album.
If you have never heard Yellow6, then this probably isn't a
good starting point. i would recommend the icanhearthemusicallaroundme
12" or the Music For Pleasure album as good starting
points. If you are into Yellow6, then please note that this
is more mellow than his other releases. Finally, if you are
an ambient fan, then this is a fine purchase. It fits really
well in rotation with that Ti-Cal
disc i talked about earlier. |
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