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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Haunted Dancehall

The Sabres Of Paradise

1994

Haunted Dancehall
Album Summary

Haunted Dancehall is the second studio album by English electronic music group The Sabres of Paradise. It was released through Warp on 28 November 1994. It peaked at number 57 on the UK Albums Chart.

Wikipedia

Rating

2.47

Votes

6123
Genres
Electronica

Reviews

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Wed Feb 17 2021
1

I was eager to stop listening to this.

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Thu Feb 11 2021
1

Pointless bullshit noise. These aren't songs. The're pieces of songs desperately trying to pass themselves off as complete songs. Useless and angering. Why the hell is this even on the list?!

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Fri Jul 02 2021
2

You remember that episode of Friends where Ross made a song by playing all the weird noises on his Casio? This is that, but the noises are a yipping dog and a coffee grinder. Also, it was kind of comical when Ross did it. Best track: Wilmot

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Wed Feb 17 2021
1

Garbage. Just shitty electronic music like this is the 70s. No music, just random sounds. Imagine paying for this. 1/10.

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Tue May 04 2021
2

cover looks like it might be rockabilly, but it's from the 90s. hmm. might also be techno cause dancehall etc. haha ok it's dank 90s techno. lol and of COURSE it's from the uk. classic 1001 albums editor shenanigans. i'll give it a chance, but at 1hr 16min there's no way this isn't gonna be WAY TOO FUCKING LONG. it's pretty... minimalist? granted I'm only on about minute 8 of 75, but I think I have a pretty good idea what to expect the rest of the time. And ok yep an hour later, that was pretty lame! This would have been a 3 if it didn't stay out its welcome, because it wasn't THAT bad for the first couple of songs. But the full thing? uuughhh, fuckin hell. 2/5.

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Thu May 06 2021
2

Tracks don't show much progression in their ~ 6-minute runtime. Best tracks are Wilmot and Tow Truck. 4/10, not bad but I'm always waiting for something to happen that never does

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Fri Apr 09 2021
2

Couldn’t get into it. Maybe it’s because I was wearing trainers.

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Sun Sep 26 2021
2

Being given the accolade of "the 47th best album of 1994" really feels about right, for this.

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Wed May 26 2021
1

I expected a lot more out of an album titled Haunted Dancehall. Certainly sounds like the most boring place in the world.

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Thu Feb 25 2021
4

Funky. Good background music. I'm bobbing my head along to it as I work.

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Wed Jan 12 2022
1

I think this aged poorly. Sounds like robots banging on garbage.

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Thu Nov 25 2021
5

I know nothing about this album. That's always dead exciting. The songs look long which is a worry. Bubble and Slide sounds nice. Slightly afrobeaty. Bubble and Slide 2 has some lovely filters over its beat. Glitchy. I love it. Duke of Earlsfield goes dubbier. And a bit crazy towards the end, another great track. Flight Path Estate is more slight, but is also shorter in line with it's relative lack of ideas. It's immediately followed by Portishead's mix of Planet D which is straight back up there again. Gloomy and dark while also feeling quite chilled. Wilmot has a baseline that makes me want it to go full junglist lunacy... It doesn't, but I still love it. It sounds like music from the weirdest arcade machine on the planet. Tow Truck is actually pretty sexy - like spy film music. Theme follows in a similar style, before another short noise experiment called Theme 4. In short, I am coming back to this, and I an gutted it's never had a vinyl repress - C'mon Warp Records, please do it!

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Fri Feb 19 2021
4

It's of a time. I bet it sounded rad in 1994

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Fri May 28 2021
4

On of the best electronic albums I've heard

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Thu May 06 2021
3

enjoyed it more the more i listened. interesting.

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Mon Apr 05 2021
3

Going in, I had no idea what to expect from Haunted Dancehall, as I had never heard of Sabres of Paradise, and am not generally interested in techno. To my surprise, Haunted Dancehall isn't bad at all. The Sabres position themselves halfway between ambient and dance music. I can easily imagine this playing in a bar or club or sushi restaurant. It's pleasant sonically and has a laid back, cool vibe, but has enough energy to provide a consuming mood, whether that consumption be food, drugs or alcohol. The first few tracks are quite abstract. The sound sources are varied and quite tasteful. No horrid synth patches here. The sonic manipulation is creative and tasteful as well. The rhythms are mostly fairly simple. The interest comes from how the various elements fit together. On these early tracks, the Sabres sometimes deconstruct the tunes a bit to point out the art in what they're doing. It's a savvy strategy because the parts fit together so naturally, the effort and creativity involved would otherwise go unnoticed. About six tracks in, the tunes get less abstract and more songlike. For me, this is a mistake because it calls too much attention to the functional nature of the music. This kind of music should glide over the smooth brains of the listeners, lulling them into the desired emotional state. Even here though, the same virtues of economy, taste, and studio mastery remain. After a few tracks, the Sabres return to a more abstract style for the rest of the album, which I actually prefer. How do I rate this? It's quite well done, but this is functional music, not really meant for close listening. If I put this on a playlist, it would be as a palate cleanser. Is it wrong of me to refuse to give a higher score because of a perceived lack of artistic ambition? Maybe. It feels like snobbery. Oh well. 3.5/5

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Wed Mar 03 2021
3

This is why I don't like skipping albums! When listening to 'Bubble and Slide' as the first track I almost wrote this album off as a psychedelic bore. That couldn't be further from the truth. I could imagine that certain substances may enhance the experience of this album but it was enjoyable whilst working away regardless. I found myself head bobbing away slowly when listening to tracks like 'Planet D' and 'Tow Truck' put me in the mindset of James Bond as a lead character in Snatch. This whole album was a chilled out trip that I would never have had the pleasure of riding usually. 3/5 because of the lack of wow factor but this was a lovely listen.

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Sun Sep 18 2022
1

I wasn’t really expecting this. This is the kind of music I would expect to hear in Spongebob during his rave with the jellyfish. The first 2 songs sound like electric zoo. They are kind of funny to me, but uninteresting. I also do not like songs without lyrics, so none of these songs really stood a chance anyways. I probably wouldn’t even put any of these songs on as background music, except maybe Wilmot.

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Fri Feb 05 2021
5

Completely unfamiliar with this one. I like it a lot. An innovative techno LP from 1994. Standout tracks: "Duke Of Earsfield", "Wilmot", "Tow Truck", "Theme", "Ballad Of Nicky McGuire"

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Sun Jun 20 2021
5

Comes ar you like a ray, like a beam. Loved it.

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Fri Apr 01 2022
5

Best Sabras of Paradise album? Probably, starts off with the classic sounds of Bubble and Slide and contains The Balled of Nicky McGuire, one of the best electronic songs of the 90s.

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Wed Mar 08 2023
5

Musiikkia korvilleni. Säännöksi voisi sanoa että chilling and wibing albumit aina ansaitsemassa yhtä tähteä. Nytten ei ansaitse heh. rento tunnelma ei johtunut laiskuudesta. Heh. Mukavan moody, mutta ei satunnainen, tässä on tarkasti määritelty mielintila. Hyvin experimental kun ottaa huomioon vuoden 1994. Stands the test of time. Kuitenkin heh.. Aphex twin dropannu 1992 senkertaparempaapaskaa heh. Onko tämä upgrade heh.. Jos oltais poimittu parhaat.. vois tämä esittää olevansa. Tokavikassa kappaleessa Chapel Street Market 9 Am lirahtaa vähän ruskiaa housuikkoon. (Objektive shit).. heh… PASKALTA KUULLOSTAA, KORVAAN TYLSÄHKÖ.Intensia jää jonnekkin.. filleriä..kö… Niin sitä luulee.. Heh.. VEDETTY KUIN KOIRAA NARUSTA.. kuuntelijaa… Vika biisi.. albumin nimikkobiisi…heh.. viimeisenä tulee.. päräyttää paikat paskaksi.. Meaning… Beuty. Buety of Sound.. Meaning.. in sound.. sound, ,, sound no text… No lyyrik.. Finding something is true.. after.. after your awakening… After beuty.. cannot discripe.. discribe the feeling.. Another world opens.. maybe full of problems… but when door open.. you dont see problems, they are hiding.. you only see light… Light shines.. glimmers and shines,, deep understanding, reflections of light.. trigonometry… light goes.. and goes…. you dont.. You dont go… you watch the glimmering… The newness should scare,, but no.. it cares… scare is not present, its away.. instead,,, love… happiness,,,, finding,, the… the,,, the,,, Light dims, door closed position.

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Mon Mar 20 2023
5

странный альбом но допустим....

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Fri Jan 15 2021
4

в целом я понимаю смысл нахождения этого альбома в списке. альбом в большой степени состоит из зацикленных ударных, пропущенных через дилэй и прочую гадость: такой саунддизайн был необычен в 1995, и по прежнему остается таковым. структуры в треках этого альбома крайне устарели на наше время, но я уверен, что этот альбом вдохновил многих современных продюсеров на усовершенствование находок самих Сабель, напрмер характерный подгруженный синтезированный бас, ставший столь модным за последние лет 10. интересно, свежо и крайне изобретательно, но не бриллиантово, поэтому 8/10.

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Thu May 20 2021
4

I like it. Would be 3.5. But tiebreaker I’ll lean up.

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Mon Apr 19 2021
4

Me gustó pero no es para todos los públicos

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Mon Jun 14 2021
4

Techno. Parece banda sonora.

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Sun Jan 24 2021
4

Never even heard of these but absolutely loved it. Like listening to one of those albums as a teenager where you just wanted to know more about them and listen to everything. Fantastic.

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Mon Jun 07 2021
4

Pretty mesmerizing by the end

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Fri Jul 09 2021
4

I would listen to this again. It was pretty chill while I prepped dinner.

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Fri Apr 09 2021
4

Pleasant surprise. Enjoyable listen, not sure it will be a regular listen mind.

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Fri Apr 09 2021
4

Brilliant stuff - gets better and better as it goes on

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Sun Mar 21 2021
4

Слушать можно, не раздражает

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Fri Aug 27 2021
4

Seemed to the nail the vibe it was going for

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Fri Oct 22 2021
4

A techno concept album. Worked for me.

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Mon Oct 25 2021
4

Brilliant stuff - gets better and better as it goes on

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Mon Oct 25 2021
4

It was nice to have this album pop up the week before Halloween. True to its title, HAUNTED DANCEHALL would make a great soundtrack to a Halloween cocktail party. Or any shmoozy cocktail party. Or the dim lobby or lounge in a boutique hotel. I enjoyed having this music on. There are some great beats, unique sounds, and interesting melodies. Hard to pick any favorites as all worked well for me. Loved the music and sounds in “Tow Truck” and “Theme” had some cool beats and guitar. The title track “Haunted Dancehall” was well-titled and would make great music for a horror movie. Loved it! The album isn’t something I’d put on as an activity in and of itself, but it makes great background music for doing other things. The music is interesting without being overly distracting. HAUNTED DANCEHALL is long, but that works fine when I’m listening to it in the background. It’s full of tricks and treats, not boring or annoying as it explores some unique musical soundscapes.

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Wed Dec 15 2021
4

I listened to this while having some Guinness and talking about life with my brother, for that it is really fitting. Really unique ambient house with some interesting textures, especially on the drum tracks. A lot of the songs feel like you're listening to an 808 trapped inside of a black hole

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Fri Apr 01 2022
4

Some very good songs on this record, especially the Ballad of Nicky McGuire and the closing title song, but also a few tracks that I found quite repetitive and uninteresting (Wilmot for example). So overall a good album, but not as good as I remembered it to be.

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Fri Apr 29 2022
4

Really interesting sonically. Can tell that this album had an influence on the urban/hardccore music to come from the UK in the years to follow.

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Wed Jun 15 2022
4

Mad techno sounds and cool beats and includes the classics Wilmot and Theme. Play this in the background to improve your focus.

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Fri Jul 22 2022
4

As soon as I saw this was on Warp Records, I knew to expect something off-beat and interesting. Put this on in my earbuds while running errands. Great instrumental background music. Very interested in hearing more of their work.

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Fri Jul 29 2022
4

This record is a mood. I like it and I will listen again. Wilmot is my favorite track.

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Sun Oct 16 2022
4

Very tasteful techno music during the whole project, which is one of the best of the genre at least of that period.

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Fri Nov 04 2022
4

It was a good background work album

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Fri Nov 18 2022
4

Pretty niche electronica, but plenty of interest, I really enjoyed it

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Thu Dec 15 2022
4

Finally some good electronic music! I do not understand the hate this album got. It is fresh

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Thu Jan 12 2023
4

Really good stuff. Had never heard of it before.

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Fri Jan 20 2023
4

Weird and haunted - in a good way. Unique beats.

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Wed Jan 25 2023
4

Yeah it’s slow and boring but that’s the point. I think I had Wilmot on 10” single. Good times.

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Fri Feb 10 2023
4

Though I prefer Andrew Weatherall's other project, Two Lone Swordsmen, slightly more, I do appreciate this. Has lots of interesting layered pitch shifting and dubby reverb and delay all over it, giving it a high contrast blend of treble and bass. Very textured atmosphere, but it definitely has a harshness to it, so I can see why some people find it unpalatable. I gravitate towards the more downtempo numbers like "Duke of Earlsfield" and the one remixed by Portishead. If I heard this high AF at a 90's rave it might've broken my brain.

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Fri Feb 10 2023
4

Some excellent grooves here, I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Its spareness means it works as background music, but has intricacies that makes it worthy of close headphone listening too. "Duke of Earlsfield" was the song that hooked me.

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Fri Feb 10 2023
4

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Planet d, Wilmot, Theme

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Mon Feb 13 2023
4

Great ambient dub techno or whatever you want to describe it with. Haunted Dancehall is as good a description as anything else. Stands up well.

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Wed Mar 29 2023
4

This was really cool. I don't think I'm ever going to revisit, but I'm glad I gave it a listen. I can definitely understand how this industrial style electronica was influential.

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Sun Apr 09 2023
4

Surprisingly enjoyable. Did not expect to like it but slid down smooth as silk. I appreciate wordless music that allows me to get some work done while listening to it. Creates a soundscape and just lets you sit in it for the whole album.

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Thu Apr 27 2023
4

Enjoyable. It's a little more dated, definitely has the same structure a lot of 90s techno had, with "let's slowly introduce one instrument after the other and then bring it back down." But it's good.

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Fri Jun 18 2021
3

some good tracks, but not didn't feel enough to go back to it...

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Fri Jan 15 2021
3

Обычные, но все же приятные ритмы и необычные звуки, но больше ничего. Этот альбом был бы хорош как саундтрек к какому-нибудь платформеру, но в музыкальном плане эта работа не очень

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Wed Mar 03 2021
3

instrumental. a bit weird. I doubt ill listen again

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Wed May 12 2021
3

I tried, really not my thing, plus I was falling way behind!

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Sun Apr 25 2021
3

Chill dancehall/ early dub. Alot of the songs sounded like they were about to pick up, or about to end, but just kept going. Okay at best in my opinion.

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Fri Apr 23 2021
3

OMG a 90's album, I didn't think it was going to happen. I have never head this before.... not sure I need to again. Its more interesting than most of the stuff we have been feed so far. The only thing I think when I listen to this is... Beastie boys instrumentals do it better. meh out of 5

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Fri May 07 2021
3

At first I thought this album was a bit dull, but about halfway through I really enjoyed some of the songs. This is fairly minimalist music and I’m surprised it takes 3 people to create this

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Fri Jan 22 2021
3

Portsihead song was the best out of the bunch. Decent background music.

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Wed Mar 03 2021
3

A totally unusual and unique mindfuck. I think it was absolute genius but I think you gotta be out of it to appreciate it's finer details.

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Thu Jul 01 2021
3

Pretty cool. Like early minimalist electronic, but cos of the era u can hear The Prodigy vibes, some similar tempos. Decent, easy to listen to. 3/5

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Thu Mar 25 2021
3

This sort of music I can really enjoy but I don't know if I 'get it' like other people do because I can enjoy music of this kind that's considered to be bad as much as that thats considered to be good and I might not even be able to tell the difference. But like if I'm listening to it and really focussing I can kind of listen to it with my whole body and its sort of mesmirising and beautiful.

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Wed Jun 16 2021
3

Yeah, this was pretty good. Like a cross between holiday music and when you find a really cool bar at a festival.

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Wed Jul 21 2021
3

I would listen to some of these songs again.

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Sun Jun 20 2021
3

Álbum com boas opções de eletro que proporcionam um clima interessante, especialmente com o remix do Portishead

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Mon Aug 23 2021
3

Surprisingly good! Quite eerie but good background music for working to. Some catchy tracks

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Sun Sep 05 2021
3

Had me up and dancing, enjoyed the liquid style.

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Mon Sep 06 2021
3

This was an interesting electronic/dance album that delivered on the spookiness promised in the title. It strayed more to the side of "interesting" than to the side of "fun" or "enjoyable". It's not super relistenable, so it loses a star.

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Wed Sep 22 2021
3

Reminds me a bit of Fluke. Less melodic than I usually like my electronica but still good.

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Tue Oct 12 2021
3

I enjoyed this. It's basically a lot of progressive and layered sounds/noises, so not the most compelling music in the world. But it's also pretty chill and enjoyable enough to listen to. It mostly works as background as I sit working, although sometimes the noise/dissonance gets distracting (i.e., "Flight Path Estate," "Jacob Street 7am"). I feel like it would have really benefited from a serious edit. They could have dropped several songs and had a much tighter, more cohesive album. Fave Songs: Wilmot, Ballad of Nicky McGuire, Tow Truck, Theme, Planet D

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Mon Oct 25 2021
3

A real surprise of an album, enjoyed this from start to finish and really superb in parts. Will definitely revisit

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Mon Oct 25 2021
3

As I started listening to the album, I thought "Cool, a new album to add to my list for listening while working!" Instrumental music with a lite dance beat can work well for me in that setting. As I continued to listen, I became more and more irritated (as did my dog) by metallic tinniness within many of the compositions that felt more like noise than an enhancement to the tune. By the end, I was at a "probably not" with regards to keeping it in my library.

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Mon Oct 25 2021
3

Well this was a long one, wasn't it? It certainly had a lot of electronic sounds, and not unpleasant ones. It took a long time to warm up and get going, though I imagine that this was by design. I was very happy to get to the middle section, with "Wilmot," "Tow Truck," and "Theme," where it went to interesting places beyond ambient for a while before heading back. I enjoyed those pieces. Some cool, interesting stuff.

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