QUIET DAYS ON EARTH

This is the fourth album by German band Electric Mud, and although this is the first time I have come across them any band which describes their last album as Deep Purple and Camel jammed together with Pink Floyd and Tangerine Dream then they are going to grab my attention. This release is described as "rooted in the classic prog era of the 70's but takes a step forward into the great unknown of instrumental territory sublimely combining styles like post-rock with neoclassical elements and Berlin school." This is definitely looking back to the Seventies, with Tangerine Dream being very much the main influence, alongside some early Kraftwerk and Brian Eno, resulting in something which is delicate and dreamy, yet also containing some repetitive elements which take the music in a quite different direction. The band used to be a live trio, but these days have morphed into a studio-based duo with founder Hagen Bretschneider (bass) joined by guitarist and keyboard player Nico Walser.

Together they have produced an album which at times feels incredibly fragile in its simplicity, at others more complex, but always interesting and intriguing. This has a deep heart and soul within it, passionate yet somehow fresh and invigorating without ever being overbearing. Synthesisers are very much at the heart of all they do yet they do not fall into the traps of being overbearing, with guitars used sparingly yet to great effect, and a use of space as an additional element. There is even fretless bass and classical guitar, not what one would normally expect from a band playing this style of music. The result is a very enjoyable album indeed, which fans of this school of music should seek out.