Zweite Meer - F.S. Blumm

For his follow-up to Ankern, F.S. Blumm modifies his sound ever so slightly, but those small nuances definitely make all the difference. His guitar playing has never sounded better and the instrumentation he surrounds himself with complements his sense of arrangement and songwriting. The instrument list reads like the roll call of a Pet Sounds session -- xylophone, bells, French horn, vibraphone, melodica, glockenspiel, harmonium, accordion, bontempi, Casio keyboards -- all used with a reverential sense of restraint and with a great deal of subtlety that wouldn't be out of a place on a Brian Wilson or Burt Bacharach production. The songs are an equal balance of bliss rock and IDM, with a nice nudge in the direction of simple pop melodies that are graceful in their melancholy. Like many of his labelmates (Ulrich Schnauss, isan, etc.), Blumm pays homage to the influences of the past without getting caught up in a gloss of nostalgia. ~ Rob Theakston, All Music Guide