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Crommie; Daniel: A Prelude To The New Normal

If you’ve never heard of Daniel Crommie, then you’ve clearly not been keeping up with Sea of Tranquility. After all, head to the reviews under the letter ‘C’ and the man’s releases take up one full page all on their own. And, in truth, we haven’t even covered all of the albums Crommie has put out over the years, with Noisemaker, the release he sees as the forerunner to A Prelude To The New Normal, being one of those that’s passed us by.

Many of those aforementioned reviews have come from myself and with wildly varying results; some of Crommie’s work hitting my own musical spot, while others have left me completely baffled. This latest offering (but give it 5 minutes and another will be along) lands on the higher end of the scale, although it does combine aspects that I personally find engaging and, well… not. The former of those is Crommie’s skilled synth work and electronic beats, loops and grooves, which lay a smart foundation for some sprightly melodic motifs to grab the attention. Arguably this album is more front-loaded with this side of things than the latter tracks where - although it is a feature throughout - flutes and whistles move into more prominent roles. Personally this is where I begin to struggle with things a little, the two aspects often bouncing off one another rather than bonding as I’d hoped.

The opening pair of “Farewell Fanfare” and “Undertow” play to the strengths and truly pull you in but with the likes of “Cosmo-Jazz Flute Melange”, I must admit to being worn down by the repetitive bleeps and bloops that rely on listless woodwind for release. However, the stronger material wins through and while I’d struggle to truly tell you that this is a CD I’d readily pull down from the shelves for repeat listens, if Daniel Crommie is part of your musical landscape, then A Prelude To The New Normal will prove a worthy addition to your collection.


Track Listing
1. Farewell Fanfare
2. Undertow
3. Within Reason
4. The Foothills Of Oblivion
5. Reverser In Neutral
6. City Of Angels
7. The Water Well
8. Cosmo-Jazz Flute Melange
9. Vexation
10. Dusk

Added: July 4th 2021
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Daniel Crommie on bandcamp
Hits: 578
Language: english

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