OBLIVION

'Oblivion' is the last of REDSHIFT's attempts to establish their own brand of electronic music. More sophisticated than 'Halo' or 'Down Time', it nevertheless suffers from many of the same flaws, sacrificing breadth of concept and power for a static collage of sound.

This is not immediately obvious from the title track, an excellent opener that has at least some of the old Berlin School spirit and drive. From there it goes downhill: two other significant tracks are separated by purposeless ambience. Even the longer tracks are sparser than normal. It seems, from the evidence of their studio work between 1999 and 2004, that when REDSHIFT shift away from their Berlin School roots they lose in comparison to the wide array of electronic acts available.

There's a concept hidden here: the death of a star is my best guess, though there's little more than the track names and album cover to guide the listener. None of this compensates the listener for the lack of intensity in the compositions, however.

Fortunately the band rediscover their purpose in the live albums following this release.