Neuland
Self-Released, 2019
8/10
An outfit featuring Peter Baumann and Paul Haslinger, formerly of Tangerine Dream, this double album brings ambience to the forefront on a captivating listen that reels in post-rock, prog nods and plenty of exploration.
“Cascade 32” starts the listen with an atmospheric and mysterious template as calculated electronica sweeps in, and “Road To Danakil” follows with soft percussion and even more gentle synthetic sounds that get ominous, cultured and extremely experimental.
The remaining 13 tunes are equally unpredictable, including the spacey “Dream 9”, the sci-fi stabs of “M-Tron Fields”, and the aberrant manipulation of “Voices From The Past”.
Near the end, “Moons Ago” recruits a quirky, cinematic quality with cautious percussion and a darker spirit, while “Longing In Motion” exits the listen with haunting strings that appears like they could soundtrack a very elegant horror flick.
A highly textured affair, while both electronica and classical ideas are present, this is ultimately a very unclassifiable modern approach from two veterans of the early electronica scene who certainly haven’t let their creativity wane.
Travels well with: The Rileys- Way Out Yonder; Emerson, Lake & Palmer- Tarkus