EXOUNIVERSE

Without a doubt one of Senmuth's stranger albums thematically, 'Exouniverse' draws it's inspiration not from the typical exotic cultures of multi-instrumentalist Valery Av's fascination, but from the metaphysics of the universe, beyond our solar system. Mirroring this otherworldly concept is the use of a greater presence of electronics, when compared to other albums by this Russian artist. Despite a few fundamental flaws in the way the music is written, Senmuth's 'Exouniverse' is an interesting ambient work.

Possibly now best described as 'experimental world rock', Senmuth alway manages to throw in an impressive melange of styles into his music. Everything from electronic to folk to metal and everything in between, there's not much else that sounds quite like the music of Valery Av. Without a doubt, 'Exouniverse' is a bit of a more experimental approach to Senmuth's work. Sonic experiments such as 'Galaxies Merge' show Valery going as far as to literally merge two different pieces of music together, to create something very chaotic. While the sentiment and intention of this is very cool, the end result is something that sounds way too muddy and wonton to produce any real effect.

As with many of Senmuth's works, this is very ambient in nature, meaning that more often than not, the music will slip into the background, acting moreso as mood-setting music over an all- encompassing experience. This might be the biggest flaw for Senmuth, as the music does lack the power and energy of engaging music, but contends with too much structure and dryness to work completely as an ambient work. This is the large issue that ultimately deters from great enjoyment of 'Exouniverse'.

For an album that was crafted in a remarkably short time however, 'Exouniverse' is quite an impressive work. Some interesting, engaging musical ideas (especially in the electronic atmospherics and bass lines) and some partially successful sound experiments make for an album that brings something to the table, even if Senmuth has a great deal of albums that cover very similar grounds.

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