The adjective in the title of the Black Dog's 2010 full-length separates it from Brian Eno's Ambient 1: Music for Airports, which was a highly idealized vision of airport travel. Eno's music often sounds reminiscent of some future utopia, separated from the sights and smells of thousands of anxious or disgruntled people in close contact. Ken Downie's pragmatic approach to soundtracking air travel here is evident not only from the track titles, which include "DISinformation Desk," "Strip Light Hate," and "Sleep Deprivation 2." Although his aural imagery is nearly as anodyne and antiseptic as Eno's, there's a lingering air of menace, or at least unease, that contrasts with the beatific beatlessness of Eno's ambient music. The sounds are appropriately textured, and often recall the sound of unidentified persons far down dark hallways, but with brittle beats and echoing effects -- most sampled from airport sources during Downie's frequent travels. ~ John Bush
Rovi
タイトルでもしやと思ったあなた、大正解です。プラッドと暖簾分けし、現在はソーマを拠点とする黒犬が、何とブライアン・イーノ78年の名盤への愛を告白。実際に空港で採取した膨大なフィールド・レコーディングに、
期を彷彿とさせるIDMサウンドやダブステップも盛り込んでいます。無機質な空間と群衆の織り成す緊張と孤独――イーノが表現しきれなかった要素も<リアル>に切り取ったアンビエント空港へ、いざ。
bounce (C)入江亮平
タワーレコード(vol.321(2010年5月25日発行号)掲載)