Subheim - Approach (2008)

I always find it hard to really judge minimalistic works. Do they have some sort of intent, or did they just half-ass their way through? Would more subtle undercurrents to the music add to it, or jumble the mood? These question rumble about in my teapot, usually boiling down in the end to whether or not I find the overall sound satisfying. Because, as one such as I might suppose, minimalism is to be lost in, and that all depends on how immersive the sound is. It is an unpossible house of infinite rooms, hopefully without annoying sidestories or pointless textual eccentricities.

So what, shut up and get to it, you say? Subheim present simple electronica, content to focus on layers and texture. I found it labelled as IDM, but I would not go so far on the intelligent part. Rather, I would say iDM (hehe), as it certainly involves aspects of the genre, but does not spend any time on complexity or experimentation. My final decision on this album comes down to two elements. The first: an abiding willingness to let reverb do what it must. While the synths move on, each beat lingers, ruminating with uncertainty and regret for its short life, a life no different from those before or after. Getting over the poetic bullshit, the other proof of concept to this album is the progression within the songs; the buildup of themes and ideas that bloom from each meagre beginning. This isn't perpetrated through the overdone (albeit effective) post-rock swell. No, each song takes its time to approach hmmm a restrained climax.

Although I give my seal of quality to it, Approach is an album that time must sort out. I enjoy it now...will I ever come back to it? I think I will, but not too often.

Verdict: Win [4/5]

http://www.last.fm/music/Subheim/Approach