Amid the Noise

Album Review

The idea of ambient music being made by percussion instruments might seem antithetical but So Percussion manage it. Of course, Fender Rhodes electric piano features heavily in their arsenal, along with glockenspiel, synth, vibes and bowed marimba, creating the melody and atmosphere. Indeed, atmosphere is the most important ingredient here, along with a Philip Glass sense of minimalism. They've also brought in programming and a couple of guitar players, so it's perhaps not quite as pure as it might initially seem. Amid the Noise a pleasant album, and certainly an interesting experiment, but it's not groundbreaking in any musical sense. There's plenty going on, in very subtle ways, but nothing to distinguish it from many other ambient albums available.