Pop Ambient 2012

iTunes Review

Those familiar with Pop Ambient's roster will recognize mainstays like Superpitcher, whose minimal “Jackson” blends androgynous vocal cooing over soundscapes that recall Brian Eno's late-'70s work with Rhett Davies and Robert Wyatt. Wolfgang Voight is another label veteran who delivers a standout with “Rückverzauberung 5,” a quietly chaotic flurry of atmospheric ambience played with a free jazz attack. Playing under the Loops of Your Heart moniker, Kompakt recording elder Axel Willner of The Field sequences affected guitar notes to create “Riding the Bikes,” a sunny sprawl of lazy-day tones that would well accompany pedaling through the park on a nice day. The compilation's newcomers also turn up some gems here. Former Slowdive drummer Simon Scott gets spooky with “Martha,” a haunting composition that sounds as if melody could somehow be harvested from howling winds. Marsen Jules’ “Swans Reflecting Elephants” is a gorgeous standout where sparse piano and deep, textured rhythms slowly intertwine.