Picking up right where "Movement In Still Life" left off, these 13 new tracks from funky mastermind Brian Transeau find our hero caught somewhere between earthly relationships and cosmic reflections, all laid across a foundation of seductive beats and catchy melodies. And therein lies both the strength and weakness of this album. It extends the mix between urban muscle and cerebral techno that made BT's previous work so vital, but somehow lacks the same punch as earlier efforts. There are plenty of good cuts here, but nothing quite as memorable as "Dreaming" or the title cut from the last album, to say nothing of his seminal work on "Ima." Eschewing Peanut Butter Wolf for DJ Spooky is more a change of drivers than of vehicles and even the end of song patter sounds like it could have been lifted from the last project.
Don't get the wrong impression - BT is a personal favorite, and this is a really good album. It's just more along the lines of Men In Black II than Godfather II. It took a while to figure out what band the last track "The Only Constant Is Change" evoked - and suddenly it clicked.
One last note, from personal experience - revolutionary or evolutionary, this disc is a great soundtrack for "activity" in the bedroom. Emotional technology indeed...
(At the time of this writing, you can preview the disc in its entirety via lo or hi fidelity Real, Windows Media or Flash streams at http://et.briantranseau.com - a very cool bonus, thanks to Brian & the folks at Nettwerk for hooking it up.)
