Round our bodies
loteq | Regensburg | 09/12/2000
(2 out of 5 stars)
""Ext. night" is a 60-minute album which consists of one track only, and there are no skip marks. As comparisons, Brian Eno's "Discreet music" and the extremely minimalist "Neroli" come to mind. The main body of "Ext. night" are soft, atmospheric synth sounds, overlaid by spare electric guitar textures which veer between growing more prominent and calming down again. That makes for relaxing, effortless listening, yet the music never gels into something distinctive and remains too static. Without any rhythmic accompaniment and fully developed melodies, "Ext. night" can only be considered as background music, but given that ambient music has made a great leap forward in the '90s - with bands like Autechre, Main, or Seefeel - that is a disappointment. Give this album a pass and start your Cunningham collection with "Voiceworks" or the noisy, experimental "The yellow box", featuring Anton Fier (from avant-garde outfit The Golden Palominos)."