Posted on: August 15, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Two tracks that equal over fifty minutes. Here I was expecting a quick in and out and I am involved for a considerable length of time. However, “Cloudland” has a difference to it that really allows DAC and Jim to allow their songs to really shine. The first track, “Watercourse” really does not have an adequate title to it as the sounds elicited by the duo do not really have a “water” feel to them. In fact, the track in general has a much more “airy” sound to it that is aided by the light and dreamy sounds of the synthesizers on the track. The intensity of the track is slow coming, almost like a snowball gaining mass and then finally coming down the mountain at the right time.

The completely inorganic feel of this track looks back to authors like Wendy Carlos and Vangelis and as such, really forces the listener to involve themselves in a major way. The water finally does come in, only 16 minutes after the beginning of the track and it is this low babbling of a brook that really refreshes the track and gives it the energy to soldier on for the last six minutes. Even though most of the sections of “Watercourse” really have a unified, one-track feeling the process used to get there is multi-faceted and allows for this seemingly shallow track to really be deep and dense. The same atmosphere is present during “Cloudland”. This track is comparable to those discs that provide an “authentic” nature experience, but in LVXUS’s case, the music is necessary false (being created by synthesizers, tapes, and percussion).

The façade created by the band is so convincing and timeless that the fact that this was composed much before its 2005 release date is really no surprise. The fact that these tracks are so vibrant and fitting in this current era shows a maturity that was manifest even 17 years ago in the formation of this music. While individuals that listen to “Cloudland” may not be able to appreciate all the different tweaking of knobs and reorientation of musical sections of this music, but will be able to see this composition as one of the most intricate and impressive to come out. After listening to LVXUS, thank both Suilven and DAC for putting this work out and know that this album was a long time coming.

Top Track: Cloudland

Rating: 6.0/10

LVXUS – Cloudland / 2005 Suilven / 2 Tracks / [email protected] / http://www.amfar.org / Reviewed 23 May 2005

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