| Los Angeles' Jonathan D. Haskell is behind this EP, which shines throughout its
five tracks, showcasing his composing skills. Most songs have a cleverly played
drumset that makes them instrumental pop songs in the vein of Sigor Ros, rather
than the generic new age that might be heard on Hearts of Space.
Cheery bells and squeaky synthesizer sounds evoke a frozen climate in "Good
Morning I Love You," then warm violins join and a choir comes in and the song
transcends sentimentally and soars. "The Shallow End" contains a sampled voice
speaking in French and a droning double-picked guitar (perhaps a nod to Ennio
Morricone?), while multiple layers of soft synthesizers weave into a delicate
soundscape.
The robotic choir in "Secret Things" is slightly comical, but again the drums
save the piece; here they are confident and along with the Rhodes piano remind
me of the gentle grooves of Zero 7. Because there is such a successful build in
these tracks, "Love in the Time of Anticipated Death" feels slightly boring, but
perhaps the EP does need a rest point between the other epic tracks.
(self-released)
http://www.myspace.com/sevensaturdays
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