Electric Roundabout - Spiral Trax

This is nice. Very nice, in fact. It may be three years since Human Blue’s previous album, but this release marks the deeper sound he’s been crafting through his various singles on trance labels around the world. He pitches a wonderful blend of progressive psychedelia, taking a pinch of melody here, a cute texture here (and more often than not, another one over there) and layers it masterfully over an effortless and tight rhythm section. Memorexis starts things off and you’d be hard pushed to find a track that better sums up the feeling of an album unravelling and coming alive. It’s got enough kick to stay nicely psychedelic throughout, and some remarkable sounds (including a staggeringly beautiful, almost-vocal high end line) ensures it keeps the pace and it’s wonderful vibe throughout. Dream Creator is clubbier but somehow manages to stay the right side of cheesy, displaying a restrained subtlety that we could do with more of on the melodic end of the scene. Like a lot of the tracks on this album, it maintains an awesome ethereal sound while staying firmly rooted in its groove. Calculated brings in more psychedelic growl, and the tribal-tinged Aerostar has a compelling organic energy that makes it sound quite unique. Cosmic Approach again blends Human Blue’s emotion with the psychedelic energy of the bottom end, and here you almost forget you’re dancing as the sounds and melodies shift all around you. With the recent (and very quality) single tracks Carpe Diem and Intercity included along with the soaring, brains-in-the-cosmos conclusion of the title track, this won’t disappoint. It’s cute stuff, a professional and intelligent album with a delectable appreciation for transporting melodies to take care of the brain, while solid rhythms take care of the feet. Like I said – this is nice.