If the phrase "lush ambient" isn't oxymoronic enough, how about "uplifting downtempo?" Combining elements of trip-hop, ambient, world beats and downtempo soul to produce a rich, full sound, the trio's chilled grooves flow through the entire disc like Stoli in the freezer.
The album's title track opens the disc and blends smoothly into "From The Abyss" which in turn leads to "Raindust" which fronts female vocals that practically conjure up the sciroccos of Tunisia.
"Land & Freedom" opens with flutes and then builds with percussion, spoken word and echo-y female vocals intertwined with piano lines and synth strings. Next is "Fahrenheit," another ghostly tune, this one propelled by Spanish-style guitar and keyboard riffs into a driving backbeat.
Next is "Incoming," sounding a bit like Jean-Michel Jarre gone Bollywood - this one is ripe for remixing. The penultimate cut is "The Battle of Devas" another ten-minute track whose title is a nod to the band's name (the temples at Angkor Wat feature depictions of The Battle of Devas and Asuras - for more on the Hindu origins of the word, check out www.fact-index.com/a/as/asura.html) The album's last cut "Le Vol d'Icare" references another legend (it's en Francais for The Flight of Icarus) and also sneakily returns with a one minutes coda for the patient after about 90 seconds of silence.
