The first album from Vermont,
Danilo Plessow and
Marcus Worgull's ambient dalliance, was one of electronic music's more pleasant surprises in 2014. Upon the completion of their self-titled album, the two producers resumed their standard separate activities, but they eventually reunified to deliver a second album for the Kompakt label. Like their first album together, this sequel is made of sedate and melodic instrumentals made predominantly with analog synthesizers like the ARP Odyssey, Moog Prodigy, and Sequential Circuits Prophet VS. The unhurried, flow-motion nature of the material likewise suggests that it was created both instinctively and with restraint, possibly shaped into its succinct pieces afterward. There are no drums, but it's all soothingly rhythmic, occasionally anchored by deep, repetitive basslines -- such as the hummable riff tucked into "Gebirge" -- that add a little weight. Again, only a handful of outside contributors is involved. Each musician contributes sparingly. Guitarist Robbert van der Bilt discreetly dots the opening "Norderney" and "Ufer," his addition to the latter neatly melding into a spangling sequencer pattern. Dermot O'Mahony and Tadhg Murphy return to add strings to three songs, including "Chanang," one of the rare instances where
Plessow and
Worgull concoct something that verges on suspenseful. This is as enjoyable as the duo's debut, another set that rewards deep listening for those with an affinity for
Eno/
Moebius/
Roedelius,
Global Communication,
the Detroit Escalator Co., and the tranquil aspects of Kompakt's
Pop Ambient series. [A ten-track LP version was also released.] ~ Andy Kellman