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review by Bill Binkelman Packaged in one of the most beautiful digipacks I've seen in a long time (featuring an inner sleeve sepia-toned photo of a storm-cloud laden sky over a flat landscape), the self-titled recording from Laurel is one luxuriously smooth musical voyage into chill-out land. Laurel is, in actuality, the Cursor Club artist CCDome. The folks at Ajna Music selected some of the best CCDome tracks from previous albums (on the Cursor Club label), had the artist re-master (and, in some instances, re-mix) them, as well as come up with one new track ("L 01") and, voila! The result is a superbly sequenced and perfectly engineered series of rhythmic electronica tracks, all of them bearing the unmistakable stamp of CCDome's idiosyncratic approach to beats and melodies. For those unfamiliar with CCDome, the artist's tracks only occasionally have titles, sometimes they are identified merely by letter/number combinations. Opening the CD is "DR 01," a cut that blends gently soaring washes of synthesizers with a cheery shuffling rhythm, textured with a warm keyboard sound (as if it was played back in reverse). "DR 08," (subtitled "The Glistening") is the next selection and it slows the pace down, as CCDome's keyboards ebb and flow gracefully, while background synths shimmer (as if they were light wave distortions hovering above a desert floor), buoyed by splendid high-pitched bell-tones. Later in the cut, semi-glitch beats merge with the assorted flowing synths, yielding even more aural satisfaction. One of my favorite tracks is next, that being a CCDome remix of "Fibilini's Tango," a deliciously noir-ish slice of neo-romantic electronic music. Sighing synth chorales are played against a tango rhythm while background triangles complement the beat and synths perfectly. I've been a fan of every recording that came from the Cursor Club label since it emerged in 1997, so it goes without saying that I love Laurel. The remixing and re-mastering are not necessarily readily apparent, but even if you have some previous CCDome releases, the sequencing of the tracks here merits your consideration for picking up this album anyway. From the haunting flute samples and kinetic beats of "DR 04 (Monotone Mix)" to the quasi-drum and bass number "DR 11" to the neo-classical washes of synths that billow throughout "DR 06 (Pastoral)," the selections on Laurel offer a soothing yet never somnambulant assortment of various level of chillage. "DR 10 (Pandora's Pastoral)" tints the scene in darker hues, befitting of the menace implied in its title, although it also carries a hint of the exultant. "DR 05" also strays into foreboding musical terrain, this time accompanied by mildly frenetic skitching beats and snaky quirky melodies. The new track, "L 01," is a slow-paced lovingly rendered number, awash with high-pitched tones, characteristic shuffling rhythms, and underlying floating synth chords. The inner photo of the rural landscape, stretching out to a distant horizon, fits perfectly with the music on Laurel. The tracks on the CD are perfect accompaniment for a long drive under a cloudy sky, maybe with the hint of a spring thunderstorm soon to come. Evocative, inviting, and densely textured, Laurel's forte is chill-out music which is thoroughly sophisticated yet uniquely humanistic, brimming with feeling yet never maudlin or sappy. Kudos to all involved, i.e. the artist as well as the album graphics people (Lisa Steinmeyer, Katherine Delaney, and Ron Hamad, the photographer). Highly recommended! |
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