With its difficult, anti-climatic sincerity,
Estelle Montenegro's subdued tech-house is difficult to connect to head-on. Burbank's
Kenneth Graham, ostensibly hiding here under a pseudonym, keeps everything in line with minimal techno and contemporary jazz surroundings. But despite the soothing title and naturalistic cover artwork (not to mention the slow, focused pacing), there are surprisingly few hints of an outside environment. "Still Breathing" and "Self Inflicted," two highlights, are cut off from what would have been very effective eco-ambient elements, recalling many similar lounge albums that have confined themselves to conservative drum machines and blank stares, and as a consequence
Lakeside ends up feeling contradictorily artificial.