Journeyman is Paul Frankland of Woob's more full-bodied project. Maintaining the spare, amplified downbeat textures of the latter, Frankland with
Journeyman focuses his attention on the cavernous spaces between Woob's echoing beats and mesmerizing rhythms, adding greater movement and a gorgeous depth of detail. As with much material by Woob,
Journeyman's
National Hijinx is replete with movie references which match the music's cinematic wanderings stroke for stroke. A few of the tracks toy with drum'n'bass figures, but always in ways that suggest a more purposive engagement; Frankland hasn't "gone jungle" as so many have (a good half of the album is beatless ambient, as well). This is polished, complex stuff, and a fascinating listen on the scale of FSOL or Ntone labelmates
Neotropic. ~ Sean Cooper