n.ln
Astronomy For Children
(Highpoint Lowlife)
Ah, now this is nice. This whole warm and lush electronic IDM music has been done by so many people so many times that just about the time I think I'm going to get bored with the whole damn thing, a little release like this comes along and warms my insides. Although Astronomy For Children isn't really doing anything greatly different than others out there, this is one of those little discs that puts a bounce in your step after you've heard it and makes you have a little hope for the flooded market.
Starting on the right foot, "This Morning" is an effervescent piece of electronic music that bounds along with childlike melodies and a beat that is juicy without making the trunk rattle with bass. It doesn't have any huge dynamic changes, but is simply content to roll along as different filters squirt and gurgle and morph the original melodies and slowly change until it reaches a resolution. "4 Little Fires" goes in a slightly different direction, clicking along with a glitched-out beat before drifting off into a quiet central passage that wanders off the path for awhile before the pings and clicks come back in and lead it away.
In a couple different places, the album moves into slightly darker territory, and both times the results are slightly less successful than the more upbeat tracks by the group. "Spoke Words" and "That Spun My Head" both shift off into more haunting soundcape territory before chunky beats bang into the mix (yeah, a Boards Of Canada comparison would probably do). The album closer of "Thoughts" mixes both sides of the equation, dropping distorted beats into a swirling mix of warm analogue synths that sounds more like a beginning than an ending. There's a little bit of Skam and a little bit of Morr on the release, and if you enjoy either label, you'll probably find things to enjoy here.
Rating: 7.25
