Sunday, July 19, 2009

REVIEW: The Advisory Circle - Other Channels

9.25 out of 10

I am relatively new and inexperienced with the up and coming label Ghost Box but I do feel a new obsession coming on.. With the UK based Ghost Box label you can expect to hear TONS of vintage synthesizers mixed with electronic samples that take you back to a time when "electronic" music was still a relatively new outlet. Even the design is time-based, it's rather lovely. In-fact they make it a point for all of their artists to share the same aesthetics which is "..a recording label for artists that find inspiration in library music, folklore, vintage electronics and haunted television soundtracks". Jon Brooks (The Advisory Circle) is my favorite artist on the label (so far), his sounds are similar to Boards Of Canada, Raymond Scott, Air, and Porn Sword Tobacco. He describes his sound as "Everything's fine, but there is something not quite right about it". Sound's dreamy right?

"Other Channels" is Mr. Brook's second album, first full length, and within it's gorgeously "Retro-Futuristic" walls lies an adventure you may have never experienced before. "Other Channels" is the acidic head trip you get from Time Traveling too much. Your body slows down and you feel like you aren't really there but somehow, you are floating above everyone with a since of euphoria and dementia. Incredibly warm synthesizers and obscure/vintage PSA samples are in the background, sometimes foreground on nearly every track. There are a few disturbing moments in between that keep the listener on their toes, but they make the whole experience that much better. Jon Brooks seems to be classically trained as far as his sounds go. He's got a terrific ear for bringing out beauty from even the most harsh and ugly of sounds. "Other Channels" is an insanely lush trip back in time, possibly to the 70's, maybe the 20's, and possibly a few other places in between. "Other Channels" is a $10 trip through time and space worth way more than that, why not take the ride?

What headphones were built for. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Standout Tracks: All of them flow as one, so it's hard to be picky, they're all really amazing. I really like Fire, Damp & Air though (A LOT) & Hocusing For Beginners it reminds me of Air's "Priemeres Symptones" work & Farmland, Freeland which is nice and soothing.

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