Articles
The Fun Years
Mlle Caro & Franck Garcia
James Blackshaw
Lullatone

Albums
@c
Antenne
Antripodean Collective
Rudi Arapahoe
Black Gold 360
Brael / Tokyo Bloodworm
Richard Chartier
Jack Dangers
Rae Davis
Depth Affect
Taylor Deupree
Engine7
Emanuele Errante
Force of Nature
Gel-Sol
Glissando
Hardfloor
He Can Jog
Hulk
Adam Hurst
Kenny Larkin
Loco Dice
Mad EP
Maju
Marc + Hillage
Izumi Misawa
Nico Muhly
Toshimaru Nakamura
Organum
Maja S.K. Ratkje
Nicola Ratti
Recue
Renfro
Sawako
Seawalker
Raoul Sinier
Spyweirdos et al.
Svartbag
Tape
John Tejada
Tietchens + Chartier
Transitional

Compilations / Mixes
Ai022LP
Buzzin' Fly 5 Golden Years
Cielo-Cinco
Deconstructive Music
Om: Miami 2008
Sounds of Om Vol. 6
Traum 100
Underscan Now

EPs
Claro Intelecto
Funckarma
Tanaka Hideyuki
Jona
Alton Miller
Move D
saidsound
Sebastian San
Scott vs. Vaz
Philip Sherburne
Vakula

Antenne: #3
Helmet Room

In the case of #3, what at first sounds slightly somnambulant quickly turns entrancing after just a few listens. It's the third full-length from Antenne, in essence the solo project of Copenhagen artist Kim G. Hansen abetted by the vocal presence of Marie-Louise Munck. Formed in 1999, the group specializes in a highly evocative and occasionally viral trip-hop style that can't help but invite comparison to Portishead, even if Munck's restrained vocalizing sounds considerably less anguished than the wounded cry of the incomparable Beth Gibbons (Portishead's sound is also bolder and more cinematic in overall sound design, and generally more doom-laden too).

After a quirky sci-fi melody initiates album opener “Long to Kiss,” Antenne's sound establishes itself: a downtempo swirl of hazy strings and guitar strums topped with Munck's smoky vocals. Again like Portishead, Antenne derails its relatively straightforward sound palette by injecting spacey electronic flourishes, such as the warbling transmissions that billow behind the piano, guitar, and vocals that otherwise dominate “Days Into Nights.” Lulling rhythms and Munck's haunting whisper lend album standout “Gloves On” a serene and entrancing impact, while melancholic guitar twang warms the chilly oscillation of a roller-coaster synth line in “Blue Light.” Interspersed amongst the vocal tracks are instrumentals that register more like atmospheric interludes than full-fledged compositions: “Ttreaa#7,” a krautrock excursion infected by industrial-electronic patterns and breathy saxophone bluster; “Ernst,” which layers minimal piano and electric guitar figures over a looping insectoid base; and the closing “All of Us,” a synth-heavy meditation featuring snippets of sampled laughter so unhinged they suggest a taint of madness. There's no denying #3 succeeds in presenting an atmospherically potent fifty minutes of slow-burning moodscapes though some listeners may conclude that it hews a little too resolutely to a singular mood.

July 2008