After a three year hiatus, Tomorrowland recently released this limitedpressing EP of songs on the mostly vinyl fledgling Red Antenna label. Anemoneis a continuation of their analog/electronic aesthetic, and it is apleasing listen overall, but not a giant leap forward in any case forSteve Baker and Nick Brackney. That's not necessarily a bad thing —it's admirable for a band to stick to their guns — but it means thatthe duo risk sounding like so many other like bands. The addition oflive drumming by Eric Morrison is a good step, but it's not enough tomake this release particularly noteworthy in their catalog. Withoutreal change there can be no evolution, and survival of the fittestwould leave Tomorrowland in yesterdayland. That said, there are severalpeaks to be found on their latest, most notably the first (and title)track. Eerie computer noise and processed beats kick it off, withswirls and deep bass joining in fairly quickly. It's a perfect bodymoving song, where body parts do their own thing and it's always fluid.Then the big beat drops in and the energy pumps up to eleven.Unfortunately, this begins a stasis that lasts for half the songs,where guitar noise and synthetic whine and gurgle meet with live orelectronic beats and just stay. There's a little play, but no realpeaks and valleys to speak of. The songs just aren't engaging enough.Occasionally I got pulled in, like on "Chromosome" or "Meiosis," butthen something breaks the streak — like the awkward drumming opening of"Catalyst" or the all-out noise of "Unfadeable" — and I reach for theeject button or the volume knob. It's nice to know Tomorrowland arestill around making the music that matters to them, but a littlereaching, even if it means falling occasionally, could take them a longway. samples:
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