One After 303

#8: Pete Namlook & MoveD: The Art of Love. Another top ten, another entry from the FAX label.

Y'know, I love listening to ambient / electronica / what-have-you, but I hate like the dickens trying to explain why. It's not like I can point out some particularly insightful or witty lyrics. Heck, even the song titles are pretty much a mystery. Take the title I used for this entry, for instance. What's it mean? Why not just call it "304?" Wish I knew...

In any case, this album leams more toward the electronica axis, since there are beats throughout. Still, it's a rather mellow affair, with the majority of the 6 songs here running over 10 minutes. The album is supposed to serve as an "intuitive journey through the moods of love," which I interpret as boot-knockin' music. I suppose it could possibly be used in that fashion, but I think MLW would laugh me right out of the house were I to suggest it.

If I were to struggle to equate this with another musical touchstone (and believe me, I'm struggling), I'd actually make the heretical tie between this and some of the mellower material of Miles Davis' fusion period. The use of trumpet on a couple tracks is probably what fostered that particular connection. And, truth be told, this is nowhere near as dark as Miles--for the most part, Namlook and MoveD are satisfied to establish a very comfortable groove and adding or taking away complexity as warranted. It's not a challenging listen, but neither is it meant to be.

If you want a better (and lengthier) analysis, take a gander over here.