Los Angeles-based musician Brian Allen Simon has always woven electronic and acoustic instruments throughout his lush, abstract productions under the name
Anenon, most notably incorporating his own fluttering saxophone playing into the sea of rippling synths and fluid rhythms. Tongue is his second full-length for Friends of Friends (and fourth overall), and it seems like electronic beats have all but disappeared from his sound. While some of the album's pieces seem to drift in the breeze, such as the delicate "Open," which features bird calls and distant, Satie-esque pianos, the most captivating moments are the most rhythmic ones. "Two for C" locks into a dazzling circular organ pattern, which is expanded on by Simon's wistful sax playing. The album's clear high point is the centerpiece "Verso," which progresses from minimalist pianos to shimmering organ loops, keeping a simple framework but managing to sound far more complex. "Pure" segues from anxious, percussive twitching to soft, dreamy pianos and rainfall, maintaining a homemade sense of intimacy, and this segues into the title track, which features a rolling, music box-delicate pattern and softly bubbling bass. Gradually, several layers of piano patterns, some of which seem a bit discordant, fade in and out.
Anenon's music sometimes seems to explore contrasts, but it does so in a manner that is easy to follow and absorb, and his music ends up being relaxing rather than challenging. ~ Paul Simpson