Robin Saville and Antony Ryan return with their fourth album (and thirdfor Morr) since their inception in 1996. In keeping with their previouswork, Meet Next Lifecombines warm textures with cool soundscapes to create a thoroughlybalanced album of lush, often touching instrumental melodies that arenever overwrought. While their last record, Lucky Cat wasslightly more minimal, their latest finds the band carefully expandingtheir horizons, particularly in terms of diversity. The first track,"Birds Over Barges," brings crystalline acoustic guitar to the mix,adding a gauzy dimension to the sounds of the analogue synths. Fromthere, the songs slide and drift languidly into one another, andalthough the overall sound of the album is subtle and understated, ISANmanages to avoid lapsing into monotony. "One Man Abandon" and"Snowdrops and Phlox" are winsome lullabies, while "The Race To BeFirst Home" is winsomely playful with its jubilant xylophone sounds.The haunting title track, which brings Meet Next Life to a close, is strongly reminiscent of Brian Eno's Apollo.The best of the bunch, "Gunnera," amazingly brings all these elementstogether in what is definitely the signature piece of the album. I findit apt that ISAN chose black and white butterflies to adorn the coverof Meet Next Life as it speaks volumes about their gossamer simplicity. It is a record that is as elegant as it is modest.samples:
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