The entire effort is one of sweet tranquility where electronic bubbles burst at all angles. As a return to form, Styrofoam has not lost the fragile IDM sparks of yesteryear, and manages to captivate and expand on his signature. Fans of early Plod, Plone, Solvent, and Ulrich Schnauss will revel in these delicately woven musical time capsules.
For Styrofoam‘s first all-instrumental album in eight years, Antwerp, Belgium-based Arne Van Petegem brings a certain human element to synthesizer-rooted electronic music. As a return to form, Styrofoam has not lost the fragile IDM sparks of yesteryear, and manages to captivate and expand on his signature. Each plink-plonk melody seamlessly blends into each other as pitter-patter beats carefully slice through delicate notes fluttering in the wind. And this is really where Styrofoam elevates the musical charm—brittle yet tangible rhythms and timeless sonic sculptures transcend time as noted on “It Isn’t Real So It Doesn’t Count.” The title track reveals a nostalgic dreamlike state where swirling guitar drones flicker among crunchy drum patches in a blissful whirlwind. The entire effort is one of sweet tranquility where electronic bubbles burst at all angles. The balance between harmonious elements and drifting rhythms (ie. “Blind Spot Safety Procedure”) is both infectious and calming. “Fully Present,” perhaps the most brittle of the batch, brings with it a set of brisk chimes and a pleasant channelling of far away memories. Fans of early B. Fleischmann, Plod, Plone, Solvent, and Ulrich Schnauss will revel in these delicately woven musical time capsules.
We Can Never Go Home is available on Sound In Silence / Silent Face.
