Author's note: before beginning the review proper, it should be noted that the review version of this CD does not correspond to the release version, with regards to the track listing. The review version lacks "White Universe", the intended track two of the release version, and the track listing is thus altered. Whilst this doesn't affect the overall quality of the music, it does affect the listen as a whole. As such, the album has been reviewed as it was received. The review copy track listing can be found below.
Venus, the next closest planet to our home after Mars, has never held the same appeal to our NASA-bods. Despite being considered earth's "sister planet", due to the similarities in size, gravity and bulk, Venus' high surface temperatures and destructive winds have succeeded in creating a life-destroying atmosphere, made up mostly of carbon dioxide, thus relegating the planet to not-even-also ran in the race for an inhabitable alternative to our home-world. These failings have not, however, stopped Luke Corradine, the man behind Roebeck, from infusing his album, "Hurricanes On Venus", with a sense of the inter-planetary. Indeed, the opener, "The Jewels Of Lady Gibbons", is a simmering space-ship ride of a song which glides through the empty and desolate space, detached and coldly beautiful (and for music of a similar astral quality, I recommend investigating the 17 Pygmies' "Celestina" album, also reviewed on this site). This "Space Odyssey goes pop" ambiance is finally broken up by a warm, wistful and slightly longing acoustic guitar line, ably supported by the string section, that enters the fray just before the end, saving the track from being a rather glacial, "floating in dead-space" opener. The impression is still that, much like the jewels of her Ladyship, the track is to be appreciated from afar, with coveting glances and an almost analytical appreciation of its beauty. There is no real feeling to the track, no sense of intimacy, but then I suppose anything described as "chillout" is going to err on the side of, well, cold on occasions. And this cold-front resurfaces on another track later on, the rather appropriately titled "Starry Night On Emerald Bay". Described on the press sheet as "a more relaxed Radiohead", it isn't massively unlike the sort of electronic fiddlings that appear on the Oxford band's fan-baiting release, "Kid A". It's little more than a short, two-minute study in shifting soundscapes, a sea of tranquillity that mixes drifting icebergs, the occasional flashing atmospheric crackle, and the odd dull throb of distant thunder. It's not a discernable track by any means, but it serves as a pleasant, if eerie, palate cleanser before the denouement. It's just a shame, then, that the denouement is distinctly unmemorable slice of smooth, blissed-out trip-hop. It's not unpleasant by any means and it remains squarely in the "chillout" bracket, but it features nothing of any particular note and Markus Thomas successfully turns the lyrics into a plaintive whinge to be loved, to be unique, to be himself, like some sort of wailing sixteen year-old.
But back to the earlier tracks. Having broken the listener in with the frostier face of chillout, "1000 Miles" takes a trip on the wilder, dark ambient side, complete with a throbbing, floor-wobbling bass that tickles the nether regions. The beat is dreamy but nevertheless dynamic, the vocals, courtesy of Eliza Wren Payne, are seductive, sultry and entrancing, and the track is punctuated by simmering washes of electricity and piercing sonic explosions. It's trip-hop for the slow-dance floor, the sensual last-dance before the lights come up. "Sirens", with its slick groove, employs a similar tactic. With lashings of funky syncopated bass and a fluent, almost soothing slide guitar melody, this track comes across as a highly listenable slice of soulful electronica. Perhaps one of the album's biggest strengths is its variety: as well as the aforementioned soulful trip-hop, Corradine also offers more gentle tracks of an undeniable sweetness. "Closing In", a rather entrancing lament ("You're closing in/I turn and watch you go/you're closing in/and this is letting go"), is rather mesmerising, made all the more so by Sophie Annette's beautiful vocals.
Likewise the instrumental "Blueberry Jam", which starts off simply with a repeated melody line from the acoustic guitar, before being joined by soft keyboard arpeggiated chords. The keyboard twinkles, a scratchy, languorous jazz beat slides in and the guitar line becomes the harmony background. It's soft, serene and calming, like floating on a lilo in the middle of the Mediterranean. The next instrumental to come along is "The Rite of the Blue Bird", an altogether different kettle of fish. Playing out like Corradine's own "Tubular Bells", the slow acoustic build-up, backed by bird sounds, is eventually joined by a meandering bassline of a similarly acoustic quality. Light strings begin to make themselves heard, and the sound of birds in the trees resurfaces. The bass starts to thud slightly, like a hammer wrapped in cotton wool. The sensation of a something big approaching begins to build. The two acoustic guitars begin to duel delicately and intricately, trading melody lines, but the big climax never arrives. Whilst a slight disappointment in this sense, the track is nevertheless one of the stand-outs of the album, throwing a neo-classical vibe into the mix without ever veering catastrophically into pretension or over-bearing self-importance. It's less of a hurdy-gurdy, turbulent fairground ride of a track than Mike Oldfield's most famous production. The track trades in the former's hyperactive energy for a more relaxed, stately build-up, and comes out the end all the better for it.
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The dashed sense of something bigger over the horizon however resurfaces later on. This time, in the case of "When Love Brings The Fall", the disappointment cannot be kept at bay. A slightly menacing, sparse synthesizer melody, like something out of a sci-fi series from the 1950s, opens proceedings. It's pleasant enough but nothing earth-shattering; then a chugging guitar arrives, halfway through the track. The sensation of the guitar about to kick off builds. A cymbal crash merely signals a false start. But the track remains content to stay in the shallow end. Occasionally it dips its toes in the choppier further out, but on the whole, it is content to remain nothing more than comfortable lounge music. It's pleasant, but not likely to send adrenaline coursing through your veins. "My Brother", another slow-builder, falls into a similar trap. A soft, milky bubbler of a track, it feels like the sort of hot drink you take before you head off to bed. Bell-like flourishes froth to the top but the track lacks anything to keep you hanging on. Rather like a Starbuck's coffee that comes laden with everything but a decent shot of good, honest coffee, you'll come out of it feeling a little high from the sugar rush but a little dissatisfied with the overall package.
The album is, on the whole, a good one though. For an album ostensibly aimed at the lounge-music crowd (Roebeck has featured on such memorable classics as "100 Chillout Classics", "Café Zen: Luxury Chilled Grooves" - presumably the Waitrose of lounge music compilations - and "The Worlds Greatest Chillout" [sic]), it displays a remarkable variety. Corradine even finds time to do his own Bond theme. "No Calming Ride", a track remarkably similar to Garbage's 1999 offering, "The World Is Not Enough", features winsome strings, sultry female vocals and a sinister ambience. It's all very David Arnold, but with its fade-out at the death, it lacks an appropriate end. There's no Bond-esque climax to easily segue into an exciting car chase or a scene-setting prologue.
The track that I've saved until last is "The Back Of The Tiger", an intriguing morsel that samples John Fitzgerald Kennedy and his inaugural address from 1961. As befits a president's first speech in office, it is full of belief, hope and unity, and the track as a whole comes across as a paean to humanity's better qualities, with soaring vocals and purposeful melodies. It's the track on the album that most reminds me of Zero 7, but it feels more dynamic than the at times rather anaemic-sounding British duo, perhaps in part thanks to the invigorating choice of sample.
A real mixed-bag, then. At times cold, stark and distant, with shimmering walls of sound abound, and at times warm, sweet and lullaby-like, like a hot toddy, it is difficult at times to find the unifying theme, except to say that it is all, without exception, pleasant, highly relaxing listening. Occasionally lacking in oomph or that final "je ne sais quoi" moment to really finish the respective track off, the only nagging question that remains is: why the name? After all, it all feels a little bit calm to be name-checking these violent, destructive phenomena of nature. Indeed, the whole package feels less like the climatic wrath of God and more like a drift down a serene river on a lazy Sunday afternoon. But this is all by the by. "Hurricanes On Venus" is nevertheless a worthwhile addition to any chillout, downtempo lounge fiend's music collection.
1. The Jewels Of Lady Gibbons
2. 1000 Miles
3. Blueberry Jam
4. The Back Of The Tiger
5. The Rite Of The Bluebird
6. Sirens
7. Closing In
8. My Brother
9. No Calming Ride
10. When Love Brings The Fall
11. Starry Night On Emerald Bay
12. Just Wanna Be Loved
www.roebeck.co.uk/
www.myspace.com/roebeck
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