JUKE BOX

Battiato could not be accused of playing it safe, and his output in the mid-late 70s is definitely an acquired taste. Juke Box is actually fairly accesible compared with some of his other extreme minimalist recordings from that era. This is pretty much an ambient album of sparse, but not minimalist, compositions, for piano, strings and, at times, female voice. It reminds me occasionally of Harold Budd's work (the piano piece) and Opus Avantra (operatic female voice). Battiato himself sings only one tune over a string section. A very innocuous album, but pleasant, except for the last track, which is a very abrasive violin piece that inspires me to hit the "stop" button on my CD player prematurely. Though nowhere near the top of his discography in terms of "must-have" status, Juke Box is nonetheless mostly a very pretty, meditative listen in the organic ambient field, the sort of thing Popol Vuh fans will like. Don't pay too much for it, though, it's a pretty darn brief album.