I've never had a terribly rewarding relationship with ambient stuff like this. In a conservative best-case scenario, when I realize five minutes after it's ended that it's ended, I'm left with a sense that I liked what I heard, but can't remember a damn thing about it. Artists like Populous rely on subtlety, and though I prefer that such subtlety be used to achieve something rather than stand as an end in itself, I suppose there is something to be said for what I'd call "background music" if that term didn't preclude fair judgment.
So, from where I stand, Queue for Love is "better" than much of what shares its most salient qualities. Not only does the album fulfill its apparent goal of coloring the space around you with warm looping chimes, gentle beats, and creaks and skitters that probably differ little from the ones you're imagining now; it also contains enough surprises to satisfy even my attention span.
Since it's obvious what much of this album is, it might be better to talk about what it isn't.
It's not bleak. There is a noticeable playfulness and a sense of humor, even on the 11 tracks that don't feature Doseone of cLOUDDEAD. It is occasionally aberrant and jolting, signifying unmistakably the presence of real live people behind the controls. The beats can be heavy, but these tracks tend to turn what might otherwise be hypnotically cyclical into something gratingly repetitive.
On the other hand, it's not exactly bright either. This isn't toy-box electronica; there are dark, sometimes ominous overtones everywhere, particularly in the percussive cellos of "The Dixie Saga." The album's vague, dull, penetrating anxiety, unsettlingly incongruous with the sparkling sheen of its delivery, results in something like an aquatic malaise that you will grow accustomed to and perhaps even tire of.
But you know better than I do your own threshold of monotony. If for whatever reason you find yourself attracted to Queue for Love, you'll likely take something away from it. It's not exactly like anything else you know from the genre, and sadly, that's saying a lot.
1. The Breakfast Drama
2. My Winter Vacation (feat. Doseone)
3. Pawn Shop Close
4. Bunco (feat. Matilde Davoli)
5. Sundae Pitch
6. The Dixie Saga
7. Dance-Hall Nostalgia
8. Magam Saba
9. Clap Like Breeze (feat. Matilde Davoli)
10. Hip-Hop Cocotte
11. Canoe Canoa
12. Drop City
More about: Populous
