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backroadsmusic.com - listen & buy |
EVAN BARTHOLOMEW - BORDERLANDS (NEW LAND MUSIC) |
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"Borderlands" is a shining example of the great places ambient music can go. Fusing Philip Glass, William Orbit and classical music into an audio palette of marvelous riches, bursting with diversity yet artistic uniformity, Evan Bartholomew's stunning aural effort boasts electronic music with the presence of organic music. Frequently, "Borderlands" offers up compelling minimalist compositions, and by minimalist, I'm not speaking in mere generic terms but rather am encompassing the specific school of music to which the likes of Philip Glass and Steve Reich belong. There is much repetition, but said repetition is used to create texture and indulge in absorbing artfulness. It's intelligent music that uses apparent simplicity to create soundscapes with depth. Repetition in electronic music is often a buzzkiller and responsible for the walking-away of the listener (at least a picky listener such as myself), but in the hands of a master craftsman (like Glass or Reich ... or Bartholomew), it can be genius. At times "Borderlands" also conjures up the spirit of classical music. At some points, I felt that I was hearing the reincarnation of classical, something a great composer transplanted to the cyberpunk era might craft. Then there were times when a floating mesmerism the likes of which William Orbit might create was generated. And it all flows through your ears with the singular audio personality of Evan Bartholomew. -- review by Kristofer Upjohn
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