Electronica Reviews

"Welcome The Still" is a song of languid beauty. Built on occasionally strummed acoustic guitar and a warm bed of electronics, singer Julia Beyer has a surly, but attractive tone. If you've enjoyed Anneke Van Giersbergen's recent work with Agua De Annique, but thought the pace was too hectic then you'll enjoy this. For the first minute and a half of "New Gathering Horizon" things take a more fragile turn. A distant piano echoes, Beyer seems hesitant. Then the guitars and drums come sidling in. It's not quite the shoegazing explosion of Slowdive's "When The Sun Hits" but it is politely effective. "At The End Of All Days" ambles about ambiently for its first half, recalling Miriam, before gaining a little pace, but never quite does enough to engage this listener. "From The Inside" is much more successful, recalling the slower moments of All About Eve. Strong emotion is expressed, even if the pace is sepulchral, enlivened by some zapping noises to scare the listener whose attention is drifting.

"A Last Goodbye" features film samples, which regular readers will know, aren't my favourite way to fill a song. If you are a big movie fan then you can play spot the sample, but the rest of the song is filled with random atmospheric ambience, which is less than engaging. It's only just over two minutes long, so its slightness isn't too much of a problem. "Looking Forward, Looking Back" starts with Future Sound of London-style noodlings, before a confident beat sweeps the listener away. It's easy to see that this song is only a remix away from being a hit on the dance floor. "Clean The Traces" is a trip-hop Bond theme. Around two minutes in, the drums drop away and we have waves of synth, some ambient sounds in the distance, before a throbbing bass sound heralds the song's return. Suddenly we are in the territory of Depeche Mode circa Music For The Masses. You've got to admire a band prepared to surprise the listener.

"The Coming Dawn" takes a couple of minutes to get going. Just when I think we are in for more movie-sample based nonsense the song begins properly. There is some Sting-like acoustic guitar over the most polite industrial clanks you have ever heard. There's something Swarf-like in the emotional resonance of this song. "The Sentiments Of An Old Love Story" is initially more film samples, before becoming the sound of keyboards left switched on over night. "Dreaming A Thousand Dreams" is the sound of Vangelis-circa Blade Runner. It's an expansive delight, with a hazy otherworldly feeling. "Tomorrow" is a hidden track, featuring Anji Bee of Lovespirals. It features a chilly wind blowing around a melancholy piano. As with many Chandeen tracks the song doesn't end properly, with electronic noises attempting to fill the void.

I can't escape the feeling that at least one member of Chandeen has ambitions to produce film soundtracks. When Chandeen do proper songs they are engaging, but I find the electronic wanderings less satisfying. Teenage Poetry is like a Director's Cut, it may be more true to the vision of its creator, but includes material that is less than necessary to the paying customer.