Nudge – As Good As Gone

Kranky are masters at putting out LPs that are beautiful soundscapes, (Tim Hecker is another exponent of this stuff) so I shouldn’t be surprised at how good this LP is.


Nudge – As Good As Gone

http://www.southern.net/ http://www.konkurrent.nl/ http://www.kranky.net/

 

Okay so I only stuck it on my review pile because the cover artwork hit a chord, but since when has that been a crime? Luckily As Good As Gone turned out to be pretty darned good too. Harmo is a dreamy delight; an angelic, breathy female voice floats about drugged harmonica and weird programming sounding like some chamber concert relayed by sonar. Two Hands is a beautiful drugged walkabout, trading on echoing effects, slithery percussion and a soul tinge not a million miles away from Isaac Hayes’ Black Moses groove.

 

Kranky are masters at putting out LPs that are beautiful soundscapes, (Tim Hecker is another exponent of this stuff) so I shouldn’t be surprised at how good this LP is. Aurolac has more of a bustle about it, its vibe is still reflective, but between the plaintive vocals, the bass part lends the feel of a Fassbinder soundtrack. Near the end it morphs into an elegiac clatter that is not far off AR Kane’s 69 LP. The Fassbinder/Conny Plank vibe is also prevalent in Tito, the gloopy bass mixing well with the off-centre synth parts. The last two tracks, Burns Blue and Dawn Comes Light return to the dreamy sound-scapes of the LP’s beginning, Dawn Comes Light a particularly impressive slow burn-out. 

 

 

All in all, another great ambient electronica release.

 

Words: Richard Foster