Wednesday, 7 September 2022

En Voice "Hall Of Dreams" (2006)

 
 
Now steered into niche destinations by the Spotify algorithm, I stubble across Hall Of Dreams, one of two record by a German composer who I could find little information about online. This disparity reminded me of cultural difference music scenes have. I'm certain there would be no shortage of information on a Metal band of equivalent size. Tangent aside, En Voice glimmers ambiences as Downtempo grooves flirt with gentler temperaments. Easy soundscapes drift dreamily, seeming like destinations of a modern, European stature. A harmonious clash of new an old rides the wave. Keen electronic tones and lively mid-tempo percussion rubs upside yawning strings and cultural voices. It livens a sense of travel and adventure as modern life tangos with heritage and histories, fading in an ever approaching sunset of the present rat race.

Offering a variety of flavors across its twelve tracks, a welcoming Pop appeal pallets its instruments and textures with little in the way of challenging. Each song breezes by with shuffling beats and electronics, nothing ever to bold, ambitious or out of step. These serve as warm digestible moods with the occasional flush of 90s British Electronica as potent yet simple piano melodies swoon in over sweeping synths and dawning strings. Clocking in on average at five minutes, most the songs go through simple structures, retracting and extending the rhythm section through lulls and swells with interchanging instruments. It sticks to a tone and sees it through with a lack of remark-ability beyond the character of the smooth vibrations it conjures. Good for a while but lacking a memorable depth.
 
Rating: 5/10