Unoccupied - Everyday Life (Aleph Zero Records)

Author: Roberdo
Date: Feb 26, 2009
Score: n/a

Extraordinary ambient music with a strong song character and some retro-touch: An album review by Roberdo.


Cover Artwork:


Tracklist:

 

No.: Track: Duration:
1. Everyday Life 4:30
2. Basic Conversation 4:15
3. Always on the Move 4:33
4. Time Off 5:00
5. Stay Outside 5:02
6. One Happy Thought 3:57
7. Have It All 5:12
8. She 3:28
9. Painting of a Forest 2:25
10. Personal Interview 4:09
11. Cash 5:39


Review:

Aleph Zero records really puts passion into its releases, that becomes obvious every time I open an envolpe I received from them. I like their artworks pretty often, one can see that somebody reflected about it. They also always include some little gimmick like an inlay for the CD case or some sticker which is sometimes also very stylish.

But lets get into the music. Today I am writing about the album "Everyday Life" from the two Israeli dudes Unoccopied. The atmosphere of this record is very dreamy with a definite touch of melancholy. All the songs are rather calm, laid back in tempo and with a subtle emphasis on percussion and rhythmic instruments. To me it also sounds a little bit retro styled, at least the sythesizers remind me that certain eighties sounds sometimes. All the songs have a strong song charakter concerning the arrangement- which is no wonder because both members of Unoccupied have a vast band background and so there are heaps of "real" instrumental sounds like percussion and guitars used. Also the dudes are pretty much into vocals, the massive use of a vocoder underlines my retro-touched impression.

With this kind of extraordinary release Aleph Zero records confirms its status as a reliable source for sophisticated ambient music. Everyday Life is an album grown from a long-lasting musical background and will amaze those who are looking for special and extraordinary sounds as well as lovers of band-styled, "real" music.