OCHRE LEMODIE ALBUM BENBECULA RELEASE: JULY 10, 2006 REVIEW: SEPTEMBER 20, 2006

Intelligent dance music or electronica, call it what you want, but the mellow glitch genre has painted itself into a corner. Most acts sound very similar, and explore the same soundscapes. To be fair, so does Ochre, but Chris Leary’s project at least makes some interesting progress. Mostly it’s just by sheer musicality, with lush melodies and orchestral strings dominating the smooth beats.

It’s not as immediate as his debut “A Midsummer’s Nice Dream”, but the first song “111” breaks us in nicely with its violins and groovy rhythm. The album has no real standout tracks and it all blends together somewhat, but I still like it a lot. It’s quite a feat to make the cold, extremely precise rhythms match the warmth and beauty of the rest.

JOHAN CARLSSON