VARIOUS ARTISTS - Pop Ambient 2010

I enjoyed last years’ Ambient Pop 2009 compilation, so was rather looking forward to this annual release from the Kompakt label.

Rather like the previous edition, I am struggling to see where pop meets ambient on the current instalment, it all sounds ambient to me, with the plentiful feedback guitar/white noise elements far more dominant than ‘pop’.

Standout contributors are doubtless Marsen Jules, The Orb and Thomas Fehlmann, although, I would admit to not having a clue about the album’s other 10 providers – most of them appear to be Kompakt artists.

Pop Ambient 2010 is as solid an ambient compilation as one might expect judging by previous acclaimed releases; each track has its own subtle differences, but common to all is a certain lush, atmospheric feel, dominated by long, drawn out feedback noise, sprinkled atop by the more lucid strains of piano, acoustic/electric guitar and ethereal vocals.

All the tracks float into each other effortlessly and uphold a solid consistency throughout. Having said that, Wolfgang Voigt’s Zither Und Horn stands out for its excellent use of interweaving guitar tones, swaying melodically over a haunting synthesised backdrop.

The Orb track, Glen Coe, is rather inconspicuous by their own standards, and merely keeps the album ticking along; doubtless some might have expected something a bit special. In fact, the following Blue Items from Mikkel Metal sound more like I would have expected from the Orb; a moody, dubby bass line snaking beneath melancholy guitar chords that strike a repetitive yet melodically rhythmic refrain.

The album does dip about three quarters of the way through, entries from DJ Koze and Jurgen Paape lack the subtle expressionism of what has gone before, but this is restored on Thomas Fehlmann’s refreshingly icy In The Wind and the exquisitely dreamy 17-minute closer by bvdub - Will You Know Where To Find Me.

Quality ambient collections are few and far between these days, so this should be cherished – even if it’s not an outright classic.



	VARIOUS ARTISTS - Pop Ambient 2010
	7.8
	Kompakt Records ~ KOMCD77 ~ 1st February 2010
	I enjoyed last years’ Ambient Pop 2009 compilation, so was rather looking forward to this annual release from the Kompakt label. Rather like the previous edition, I am struggling to see where pop meets ambient on the current instalment, it all sounds ambient to me, with the plentiful feedback guitar/white noise elements far more dominant than ‘pop’. Standout contributors are doubtless Marsen Jules, The Orb and Thomas Fehlmann, although, I would admit to not having a clue about the album’s other 10 providers – most of them appear to be Kompakt artists. Pop Ambient 2010 is as solid an ambient compilation as one might expect judging by previous acclaimed releases; each track has its own subtle differences, but common to all is a certain lush, atmospheric feel, dominated by long, drawn out feedback noise, sprinkled atop by the more lucid strains of piano, acoustic/electric guitar and ethereal vocals. All the tracks float into each other effortlessly and uphold a solid consistency throughout. Having said that, Wolfgang Voigt’s Zither Und Horn stands out for its excellent use of interweaving guitar tones, swaying melodically over a haunting synthesised backdrop. The Orb track, Glen Coe, is rather inconspicuous by their own standards, and merely keeps the album ticking along; doubtless some might have expected something a bit special. In fact, the following Blue Items from Mikkel Metal sound more like I would have expected from the Orb; a moody, dubby bass line snaking beneath melancholy guitar chords that strike a repetitive yet melodically rhythmic refrain. The album does dip about three quarters of the way through, entries from DJ Koze and Jurgen Paape lack the subtle expressionism of what has gone before, but this is restored on Thomas Fehlmann’s refreshingly icy In The Wind and the exquisitely dreamy 17-minute closer by bvdub - Will You Know Where To Find Me. Quality ambient collections are few and far between these days, so this should be cherished – even if it’s not an outright classic.