Sirius Sounds - The Planet Dog Years 3CD Edition

Some albums won't give you life-changing experiences, but they will at least pass the time effectively enough. When it comes to the realm of ambient techno, such an approach is actually more welcome than most. Children of the Bong actually care about beat as well, but though they fool around with dub touches and some often heavy beats, the feeling is more about sweet float a la the lighter side of the Orb. Indeed, that band is the obvious touchstone for what the Children are doing, but lacking the insane, out-of-nowhere touches which transform the Orb into true experimental monsters of odd. The Children would rather live up to their name and just relax a bit, and you can almost smell the burning cannabis as a result. "Underwater Dub," as can be guessed by the name, really hits the stoner flow hard; about the only thing missing is black light and patchouli oil, though admittedly it's not all that distinct a song to begin with. Still, there are enough moment of combined acid squelch and relaxed float that make things worthwhile. "Ionospheric State" is the first song of note, with a melody buried tantalizing beneath the lead synth crunch and a sharp rhythm roll. Further keyboards in the background accentuate the gentle rise and flow surrounding the main parts of the song. Other tunes of greater note include the nicely energetic "Interface Reality" and the deep bass tug of "Life on Planet Earth," managing to be both a good groove and subtly haunting at the same time. Otherwise, things tend towards the generally pleasant through Sounds, as with the nice-but-not-much-to-it "The Veil..." and the tighter dance grooves and vocodered snippets of speaking on "Squigglasonica," which definitely has a fun name to its credit. ~ Ned Raggett