Paul Handley – What Goes Around (Digital Album – Paul Handley)
Genre/Influences: Rhythmic-ambient, IDM, cinematographic.
Background/Info: After the recently released EP-teaser “For The Love Of Something” Paul Handley unleashes a full length album featuring 10 songs. This Australian artist was previously involved in The What 4 and more recently in Electron. “What Goes Around” is an instrumental work.
Content: Paul Handley deals with a kind of electronic-ambient music carried with rhythms. It’s a sophisticated composition, which sometimes comes pretty close to cinematographic standards while other parts remind me a bit of Delirium without the ethereal voices.
It took 18 months for Paul Handley to compose and achieve this work and that’s quite understandable when you hear the elaboration of the work. The EP-title song “For The Love Of Something” featuring a subtle ‘dance’ touch remains one of the highlights.
+ + + : “What Goes Around” is a fully entertaining opus, which now will make you dream away and then make you dance. “Cyclic” and “What Goes Around” both remind me of the atmospheres characteristic of Delerium songs and are well-crafted pieces of ambient electronics. The main influence is somewhat cinematographic while mixed with rhythms, which makes it all more accessible.
– – – : Paul Handley deliberately chose for an instrumental release and that’s fine, but I imagine this opus with a few heavenly vocal parts (or chants), which would inject an extra dimension to the work.
Conclusion: “What Goes Around” is an entertaining and diversified ambient release. It’s an evasive album revealing a few danceable passages.
Best songs: “For The Love Of Something”, “What Goes Around”, “Cyclic”, “Fresh Off The Boat”.
Rate: (7½).
Band: www.facebook.com/paulhandleymusician
Label: www.facebook.com/paulhandleymusician
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