Dot Allison - We Are Science - C/D

I traded back a bunch of CDs recently, and this was the one I had the hardest time deciding to let go of. I gave it one last chance, listening to it in the car on the way to Amoeba. I wanted to like it, it builds up some attractively moody textures, as Fabrice says. But I guess the programming seems a bit lazy to me: once those textures are set up they don't really sustain my interest, or evolve in interesting ways, or become the foundation for a well-written song in some more conventional sense.

Plus too many tracks in the second half of the disc use this really piercing glockenspiel-ish sound that's up really high in the mix (boosted so high it even clips). If my ears are going to bleed, I want it to be for something more interesting than this.

I decided I actually liked the preceding release, Afterglow, a bit better for its superior songwriting, even though I see why folks complain it's bland. Anyway, I traded them both back and I don't miss them.

There's something missing about this album. What I really don't understand is if Keith Tenniswood produced the music, what in god's name did Dot do apart from sing a few looped vocals and strum the odd guitar? "I Think I Love You" is the only track that really stood out for me but otherwise it's pretty mediocre.