There seems to have been an unusually large quantity of instrumental / ambient releases that have found my way recently. I'm by no means complaining: amongst them have been some absolute gems.
Unfortunately, 'Bears' by Diamond Gloss isn't one of them. Perhaps it just doesn’t grab me because it's, well, too 'nice.' 'I Am Black And Blue All Over' doesn't demonstrate nearly the violence the title evokes, and while I don't need to be battered around the ears and the brain all the time, it's a fairly inauspicious start to an album when it loses your attention inside the first three minutes.
It's followed by a trio of tracks that each stretch well past the ten-minute mark, which wouldn't be a problem if any of them really went anywhere. 'Canadians' is a conglomeration of chimes and bells and smooth, sweeping strings, and despite the occasional glitchy flutter and slightly coarser beeps in the mix, it's just too... too Sigur Ros for my tastes, I suppose. If 'Walnut and Trees Tables' introduces additional creaks and alters the dynamic of the sound, it doesn't deviate all that far from the album's blueprint of piano tinkles, jangles and chimes peppered with flickering microbeats. Similarly, 'Argyle Square', for all its backwards notes and crackling froth, and the fizzy-edged drones of 'Glasses' the tracks are all very much a variation on a theme.
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Herein lies the fundamental weakness of this album. A walk in the woodland can be fun and interesting, but should be stimulating as well as relaxing. 'Bears' is the musical equivalent of a ten-mile trek along a straight track through a coniferous plantation, which is all much of a muchness. The album has the potential to lead the listener on a winding path through an ancient natural mixed forest with dappled shade, cascading waterfalls and myriad varieties of fungi and birdsong, but simply fails to fulfil that potential.
Diamond Gloss on MySpace
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