Arabian Horse

The second release by Icelandic electronica group GusGus on the German techno label Kompakt, Arabian Horse is more of a traditional album than 2009's 24/7 was. Where that disc only featured six tracks, two of which ran past the ten-minute mark, this one has ten, most of which are in the five-minute range. Things take a left turn early, when the smooth synth groove of instrumental opening track "Selfoss" gives way in its final minute to accordion and banjo. The next cut, "Be with Me," features gentle female vocals over a dubby, Orb-meets-Basic Channel track. The accordion returns (briefly) on the third track, "Deep Inside," but otherwise it's a fairly lush house song. That winds up being the formula to which the album as a whole hews -- dancefloor-ready house tracks with vocals, and only a few strange or unexpected noises, mostly at the beginning of tracks. Only the final piece, "Benched," is significantly different from tracks two through nine -- it's an eight-minute instrumental that's closer to IDM than house. This is a good record, albeit one that's not nearly as weird as GusGus' early-2000s reputation might lead one to expect. ~ Phil Freeman

4ADからリリースしていた往時のダンス・ポップ路線か。紆余曲折。前作からは泣く子も踊る名門コンパクトに移籍し、よりディープなプログレッシヴ・ハウスを鳴らしているヴェテラン・トリオの7作目。フォーマットは変われど歌心に満ちた抜群のメロディーセンスは健在。泉のように湧き上がる美しい音色が霧がかるハウス・ビートに塗されて、耽美なサイケデリック感覚を生み出しております。これもまたアイスランドの神秘!
bounce (C)佐藤大作