Search - Chris Coco :: Solar Spectrums 2

Pushing the boundaries of chillout, mostly working

Richard Diaz | 07/29/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In his liner notes, Chris Coco admits to pushing the boundaries of what people regard as chillout, stirring in ambient, lounge, downtempo and dub over a thirty track saga. Yup, it's a big ol' mish mash, but as an alternative to yet one more package of tranquil beach tunes with waves and chirping birds, quite welcome. Besides the usual casting call and well placed oddballs, two areas of talent are explored. There's lots of guitar-plucked earnestness from indie stalwarts, veering into psychedelic pop and flopping more often than not (Mercury Rev's "Opus 40", Wannadies "Oh Yes, It's a Mess"). Exploring leftfield electronics serves much better; Boards of Canada, Andy Votel, and Savath & Savalas's delicate soundscapes lend cohesion to the two disc affair. In fact, a whole album in that direction could've worked, though it would have sold, like, five copies total to the music geeks. Too scattered, perhaps, but Solar Spectrums 2 shows Chris Coco staying ahead in the heated Ibiza compilation wars. Even if all his dots don't connect, you'll certainly smile at the big picture."