Atom – L13b3stra3um3 (CD)

Description

After the rather rhythmical explorations on Atom’s previous release (“Music is better than Pussy”), his new album, simply entitled “1i3835tra3um3” leads us towards similar, yet different areas of sound and structure. Certainly the last couple of Atom albums released on “Rather Interesting” could be seen as an interconnected, related stream of audio. At the first glance each one of them seem to deal with different musical ideas, while, looking closer, they simply are similar musical ideas seen from different perspectives, each one of them bearing the unique sonic texture of its creator. This is true with “1i3835tra3um3”, an album that connects to where Atom had left behind his “ambient” works around 1994 and which may be labeled as Atom’s first “Ambient” album in 15 years. “Original Soundtrack” is the subtitle of this album, leaving unclear for which movie or situation this soundtrack was made. If the music accompanies sequences of personal experiences, or just another fictive (science?) fiction flick, is left unclear. However, Atom manages to blur the borders between “past”, “present” and “future” effortlessly, merging styles and sonic references into a perfect ONE, without ever becoming gimmicky or incoherent. The opposite is true: “1i3835tra3um3” is an elegant, most cinematic work which leads us through all sorts of profound, colourful images and emotions. Songs such as the touching opener “3x310v3” (featuring the saxophone playing of Etienne Jaumet) or the centerpiece “Traumsequenz” are well crafted and thoroughly composed, programmed and arranged pieces of rather traditional songwriting, dressed with sophisticated electronic orchestration.