Auraa

Ellen Alliens third album in as many years continues the interstellar motif of 2019s excellent Alientronic, delivering another focused set of club tracks that explore sci-fi themes. Alliens occasional vocals are processed, making her sound like an extraterrestrial, and the tracks give the impression that shes encountering Earth for the first time and learning to adapt to human culture through its music. Hello Planet Earth (Breath Mix) introduces the album with trance arpeggios and a half-tempo rhythm that booms outward from the center, creating a sensation of suspended motion. A more straightforward, full-velocity techno mix of the track appears later on, toward the end of the album. In Music I Trust is an affirmation of harmony with the universe, while other tracks seem to express disorientation, yet strive for understanding nonetheless. The jacked-up new wave techno of Walking in the Dark is one of the albums highlights, pogoing onward in hope for a better future. Confusion maintains this momentum, with furious arpeggios and wavy, Orbital-esque melodic synths. I Cant See You is another dramatic attempt to reach across the barrier, and the weightless Human isnt so much a resolution as a tranquil resting point. The presence of the phrase social distancing seems to indicate a further layer of confusion when trying to come to terms with this strange earthling society. ~ Paul Simpson

ここ3年で3作目のリリースと、絶賛制作モードにあるエレン女史。本作では自身の官能的なヴォーカルを披露したオープニング曲とラストを飾る不穏なドローン"Human"を除けば、全編フロア民をシバき倒すコンクリート・テクノが延々繰り出される、テクノ～ミニマル好きにはたまらない一枚。性急なビートに金属音が鳴り響く"Traum"やキックの鳴りがスゴい"Hello Planet Earth"などカッチカチ。
bounce (C)藤堂てるいえ