2350.org - Move D/Namlook IV

Appetizing collaboration between Deep Space Network's David Moufang and Pete Namlook. As the name might suggest, this is a very easy going album that will be much appreciated by everyone (that includes even the other members of your entourage). They should give them a price for using the term "lounge" long before it became the brand name for the tons of cheap easy swallowing junk you come across, even in your local supermarket. Nevertheless, Audiolounge is suitable for the same purposes the above stuff is intended for - read, spicing up a fancy dinner, making a hot bath more enjoyable or selling your latest arty creations easier. Of course you can enjoy the album just like that, but it exhales this kind of genuine positivism, you might as well add some other pleasant things to it. Sure, the album isn't as complex, memorable nor intriguing as a lot of other PK's, but that is exactly the purpose! The keyword for this album definitely is delicious!

(review by Jean-Marc Dekesel)

1. "Don't Call!" 16:16 - OK I won't. It starts off with some strange marimba or xylophone type sounds that tonelessly pan left and right. Sounds like electronic water droplets along with a droning organ sound. The beginning of this track is really irritating. The droning organ starts to shift and a nifty beat kicks in, alright already, now we're getting somewhere. It plods along for awhile and about half way through the beat drops down and there is some strange static sounds. The beat picks back up and there's this nice lead synth part which is kind of cool. Not a bad track.

2. "Koolman" :44 - what an overused metaphor. How many more times can Pete get away with using it? There's nothing particularly "Kool" about this bit of nonsense. I have no idea why this track made it to the CD.

3. "Autocomposer" 12:12 - hit go on the sequencer and let the keyboard do the rest. This track starts off with some nice ambient synth chords and evolves into a new agey chilled out piece. Very "loungey" indeed. The track is filled with these really weird sounds that sound like alien bugs eating my brain. The effect is pretty cool however. The track ends with the bugs finishing their meal and ok, it gets really irritating after awhile.

4. "May there be May" 16:47 - Starts with some nice floaty ambient sounds that remind me of some Vidna Obmana music for some reason. After awhile some beats kick in and it chugs along for way too long. At the end, there's a return to the floating stuff that started the track.

5. "Senior Knob Twiddlers" 6:08 - Starts with an electric buzzing type sound. Beat kicks in, solo synth starts up. The Namlook "formula" is displaying itself yet again. Then a nice synth solo takes over which sounds like an electric guitar. The overall result is a nice down-tempo groovy thing. Nice. Good length too.

6. "Autocomposer (Reprise)" 3:37 - For some reason Pete has been feeling the need to do reprises which is actually rather funny. Reprising a track that needs no reprising. If you want to reprise something, reprise Shades of Orion and then you'll be on to something. As far as a reprise goes, it's not bad and it chills the album out at the end.

Overall impression: Now I remember why I couldn't remember this CD. It's not really very interesting. I don't "rate" fax discs but if I had to I'd give it a 4 or 5 maybe. Also, I don't really sense the presence of Mr. Moufang much in this one, which is too bad because I really like his stuff. Either that or David is starting to sound more like Pete. I don't know if their time apart is good or bad. If this CD came out in 96 we'd probably think it was terrible but considering that it came out in 2000, it's par for the course lately.

(review by Steve Luckabaugh)