THIS IS NOT A CONCEPTUAL ALBUM

This is one of those album that practically lacks nothing, it's music is filled with moments of gentleness followed by pompous moments of theatricality. It has moment of glacial beauty that are followed by heavy moments of violence and gore. It is a truly emotional album that holds all of these qualities under one distinct sound.

I think I worded that right, as said in my previous 6LA8 review, the music they produce is as pretty undefinable as it gets, there are moments that are reminiscent of Godspeed You! Black Emperor some of Boards of Canada, some of Helios and some of Stars of the Lid. Also worth noting, the duo does all this without ever being too derivative or not their own thing, they are indeed always their own thing.

Four stars, for doing their thang.

So far, most of 6LA8's discography is half vaguely interesting electronic music and half run- of-the-mill 21st century post-rock. This album, however, is rooted much more in gloomy ambient a la Steve Roach and Robert Rich, which is a welcome change.

This being said, This is Not a Conceptual Album starts off on what I consider to be a bad start, with "Prayers Cannot Amend Generations of Neglect" and "Helpless Enough to Write Impassioned Blogs About It" being typical post-rock. But by the time the third track "Our Dog Eat Dog World of Heroic News Reporting" rolls around, the listener is treated with modern Berlin school style cosmic synths and sequencers that eventually climax with a rhythmic cacophony of soaring electric guitar. There are plenty of standout tracks on this album, like "Here Is A Jacket. You Know What To Do" which is a slow and desolate soundscape that sounds dense with despair similar to what's expected as an interlude in the best depressing doom metal songs.

Though the previous couple of songs are nice tunes, they really are lead-ins to the better portion of this album. "Japan/Sleeping People Can't Fall Down" is surprisingly well done minimalist techno meets ambient cinematic soundscape that could be compared to a Monolake/Sigur Ros collaboration if such a thing existed. "Murshid, Marwa Na Dena" completely changes the tone of the album for about 5 minutes, opting for a modern electronic film noir swagger with wavering bass frequencies and striking, smoky piano - this track alone is worth the price of the album (it's a free album).

The real meat of this album is the closing track, however - the 24 minute ambient monolith "There is Always a Way Out, Try Avoiding It". This track is purely ambient of the most uplifting and ethereal. This is what you hear when you go to a spa and get your feet massaged in warm water by that cute woman with the foreign name that white folk like myself can't pronounce very well, and you vaguely hold on to consciousness as the distant miniature waterfall accessory from the across the room lulls you into a state of hypnosis and paralysis. Though this is an ambient track, there is plenty of progression that will keep the listening experience engaging in addition to being internally relaxing.

This is Not a Conceptual Album has a few short tracks that leave a somewhat sour note in my ears, but the majority of the album makes up for it. I realize that ambient music is kind of a strange genre to actively listen to, but if you do enjoy quality ambient of various textures and occasional flip in mood then this album will be a great piece of enjoyment.