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review by Dene Bebbington Take one look at the cover of this CD adorned by images of an alien head and it's clear that the title is a reference to Whitley Strieber's novel of his supposed abduction by aliens. It's the third album by Norwegian musician Robert Solheim recording under the name Current. Not being familiar with his previous work I can't comment on how this fits in with his discography, I can say though that Communion has a commercial feel and appeal (a single containing remixes of the track "Ghost Trip" was also released) without that being a bad thing. As far as I'm concerned, electronic music of this quality deserves a wide hearing, and if it can draw listeners into synth music, ambient, and spacemusic, then so much the better. One might imagine that music based on alien abduction would be quite dark; this is not the case with Communion though. Spread across fifteen tracks lasting between two and eight minutes, the sound is generally up tempo but with a laid back chillout quality to the rhythms and melodies. It has a certain feel reminiscent of some continental European artists like J.M.Jarre and Bios. There seem to be quite a few different influences in various parts of the album, to my ear I'd say there are hints of ambient dub, jazz, spacemusic, and pop. There is an otherworldly edge to the sounds on this album, yet it's only occasionally (the track "Sign/Alien" comes to mind) that things get a little eerie and maybe disconcerting. Overall this is a positive listening experience, perhaps the nearest comparison is John Stanford's Deep Space which has space themes but is also rhythmic and melodic. Communion is a great example of high quality synth music that should appeal to a wide audience because it's pleasant and satisfying; and by the end of the album you might well imagine that you've been communing with aliens - friendly ones! |
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