REVERIES (W/ MMI)

Compared to their previous two collaboration albums, 6LA8 and MMI change up the formula a little bit on Reveries. Instead of only a few long-form compositions that result in an album about two hours long, these are all relatively short- form compositions (not exceeding much over 9 minutes) to create a much more manageable album length of just under one hour. This is a blessing to those who can't cope with half-hour track lengths because of problems with paying attention.

In addition to the length, the compositions themselves have changed in tone, become significantly more upbeat, and offer up a variety to the previous long-winded purely ambient albums, but mostly do not stray far from post-rock style with electronic touches and post- Berlin school electronic walls of synths.

Reveries opens up wonderfully with the summery laid-back lounge music of "One of Those Mornings", being led by steady drums, a sunny marimba melody, and warm jazzy clean-toned guitar strumming -- this is one of the most unique and best tracks. "Long Way Ahead, Longer Way Back" is less like standard post-rock and more like very dreary psychedelic drifting that gradually gets heavier only until the distortion on the guitar only nears the point of being unfitting and abrasive, and it's also one of the longest tracks and offers up a decent audio journey. My personal favorite track is also the longest -- "Tonnes of Tundra" -- which is a mystical and snowy synth dominated soundscape with a radio-static type of effect that makes the entire composition border on abrasive while it somehow maintains a soothing atmosphere, kind of reminding me of something from Biosphere's Substrata or Tangerine Dream's timeless classic Phaedra. The remaining tracks on this album, more or less, follow a more post-rock oriented composition style augmented by various electronic effects to varying degrees, and it doesn't really result in an overall memorable experience.

Regardless, the overall tone of Reveries is still very laid-back and would be great as a soundtrack for those contemplative moods, and would most likely be a great listen for all fans of post-rock considering that some of the compositions are a slightly less cliche depiction of the genre. Even though this album has left me somewhat cold, I'd say it's still better than some of 6LA8's solo albums, but not better than their two previous collaboration efforts with MMI. Given that it's a free download, however, it's definitely worth a listen.