Sea Of Tranquility



The Web Source for Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal & Jazz-Fusion
  Search   in       
Main Menu




Radio Dystopia: Beyond The Radar

Beyond The Radar is the mostly electronic debut by Kevin Bottorff: with Roland, Yamaha and Alesis instruments and devices, the guitarist adds synthetic rhymes over reverb'd loops and effects that cater to a distinctly otherworldly concern. "Into The Cosmos" is quite the spacemusic exercise, its reined-in dynamics integral to a now decades-old style. The "Lux-Ptah" track sustains a quirky melody which suggests tutorship under Wendy Carlos (the Queen of habitually quirky, classically-derived melodies). A jocular bent is espoused by "Against Time" and its three-note blippy motif, and sappy, randomly-cued FX. "A New Wonder" brings to mind a great many soft-EM tracks that reside somewhere between new age and ambient, its sequential "snowflakes" a hallmark of 1980's synthesists like Suzanne Ciani and Richard Burmer. An industrial m.o. is plied on "Monick" with processed vox, electric bass, and shimmering DX-like tones with sharp, pointed ends. "Lost In A Winter's Dream" is a cool knock off the chillout block, its tranquil air effecting smooth, slowly shifting timbres that belly-crawl over a rhythm-less canvas.

Bottorff's ethic is sound enough, but Beyond The Radar struggles to find its niche in several different subgenres. FSOL-meets-TD-meets-Front 242 sounds like an interesting combination, but not all ingredients blend well — or just when they're supposed to. I suspect Radio Dystopia's sophomore outing will be much more accomplished, "espatially" considering the vastly fluctuating temperament of the EM underground scene, which will make up a considerable portion of Radio Dystopia's target audience.

Tracklist:

1. March Of The Drones
2. Into The Cosmos
3. The Planet Lux-Ptah Lounge
4. Against Time (The Chase)
5. A New Wonder
6. Approaching The Now
7. Monick
8. Lost In A Winter's Dream

Total time – 48:23

Added: October 5th 2004
Reviewer: Elias Granillo
Score:
Related Link: http://www.soundclick.com/radiodystopia
Hits: 3828
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend Send to a Friend ]

  

[ Back to the Reviews Index ]



© 2004 Sea Of Tranquility
For information regarding where to send CD promos and advertising, please see our FAQ page.
If you have questions or comments, please Contact Us.
Please see our Policies Page for Site Usage, Privacy, and Copyright Policies.

All logos and trademarks in this site are property of their respective owner. The comments are property of their posters, all other content © Sea of Tranquility

SoT is Hosted by SpeedSoft.com