Customer Reviews

Hinterland

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There seems to be an overabundance of these sort of albums coming out right now from artists especially in the U.K. and France. The key reference point for all these albums seems to be Air's debut album "Moon Safari". Basically they take a certain line of lounge/jazz/chill out instrumentals and the other half brings in guest vocalists and rappers. Fortunately for Andy Turner-the main man behind Aim, this album has some originality and is not short of quality. It's not quite as jazz influenced as 4 Hero's last album nor is it as lounge styled as Kinobe's last album either. It sort of falls neatly between the two stools. The originality comes from some of the song structures and the unusual beats and rhythms used. In fact Mojo magazine aptly described this album as being 'Beatific'! The album encompasses a great variety of styles. It's amazing to hear track 2 the wonderfully titled "The Girl Who Fell Through The Ice" which is brilliantly sung by Kate Rogers. Here we have 6 minutes of pleasure where jazzy sounds meet trip hop beats all against a backdrop of glorious strings. It's one of the albums real highlights and there won't be many better individual tracks on albums this year. Then track 4 we have the complete contrast of hip hop beats fused with lounge sounds all furiously backed up by the rapping of the Souls Of Mischief. Ghetto/lounge sounds I haven't heard that combination to often if ever. I did enjoy the guest contributions more then the instrumental tracks. Track 7 has ex-Babybird singer Stephen Jones. It's another magical track. He sings with the gentlest of falsetto voices and his style has a certain funky quality. The music has lazy sax and gentle organs. At times this track reminds me of the last Cousteau album-just pure late night sounds to be played in a dark smoky bar somewhere. Track 11 "A Twilight Zone" is a simply beautiful track and again it sounds so different to everything previously heard on the album. The vocals are wonderful too-they almost have a folky sound but they seem to be uncredited on the sleeve notes. It's all backed with flute, cello, drums and a bandoria-it's almost like a fuller sounding Nick Drake sort of track. Of the instrumental tracks I love the title track. It sounds like Morcheeba meet early Air. Chilled out vibe, strings, flute good strong bassline and for that added extra spice the shimmering sound of the sitar. Many of the other instrumental tracks are a bit too long and dull for my liking-they seem to lean closer to a jazz fusion sort of sound. "Guimar" does have an interesting clash of guitar styles-from Spanish to funk and even slide. This is all mixed in with brief brass sounds and some flute too. It's a very original track and the pot-pourri of sounds make it compelling.

This c.d has been acclaimed by a wide range of music critics over in Europe. It's just such an interesting album packed with originality, great contributions and some awesome tracks. Worth investigating!

If you're wondering when the best albums of the year come out, wait no longer. Along with Charles Webster's excellent BORN ON THE 24th OF JULY, Aim has set the marker rather high with his second solo effort, HINTERLAND. Following closely in the steps of his initial COLD WATER MUSIC, we start to get an idea of where the term "chilled" comes into play when fused with hip-hop of this nature. Urban beats are tempered with downtempo soul. Excellent vocals abound. Country side sensibilities kick in and add a touch of refinement, class, and polish, although not in a commercial sense. What we have here is something that emanates from the center out - touching many worlds. Kate Rogers is on board again as a guest vocalist and almost second member. Her "The Girl Who Fell Through The Ice" sets the tone for the album and the many worthy contributions that follow. The Souls of Mischief help spice up "No Restrictions". A major hip-hop statement; east coast, west coast, any coast. Steven Jones gets down into a boss 70's soul groove with "Good Disease". Not to be outdone, Diamond D does a splendiferous word-of-mouth on "The Omen". The real strength lies in the songwriting though. Cuts "What Do People Do All Day", "Fall Break", "Vipco", "Twilight Zone", and "Hinterland" take you on a musical journey unlike any other. The outer reaches of sonic bliss, some ethereal soundscape, lit only by the aurora borealis. The eternal night soundtrack.

Producer "Andy Turner" followed up the wide acclaimed "Cold Water Music" debut with 2002's "Hinterland"....sticking Closely to the formula that won him so much critical acclaim, he creates another batch of songs, that work just as tremendously well as they did on "Cold Water Music" (possibly tracks that couldn't have fitted onto the first album). Maybe it's the reintroduction of mainstay "Kate Roger's" phenomenal vocal abilities, maybe it's the tighter production, or even the selection of underground rappers lending vocals to several tracks, or even possibly the unarguable magnificence of melodies & beat construction on display, but I personally give this album the very, very, very slimmest of margins, the nod over it's predecessor (although I'm in the minority), but either way!!!...this undoubtedly proves that "Aim" is a Trip-Hop act of par Excellence.

As exhibitied by others, it seems difficult to review this album without a comparison to Cold Water Music, so here goes. Cold Water Music hits you more immediately. Each track is distinct and harder. Hinterland is a more cohesive, mellow whole. And, in my opinion, more blunted. The one clear advantage CWM has over this release are the MC tracks. I love Diamond D, but his east-coast flow is NOTHING in comparison to the hell raised by AG on CWM. Anyway, if you like Aim's general approach, this album will grow on you. Cop it.

Aim's second album proves solid, although it's not quite as breathtaking as his first. The musicianship that made Cold Water Music a classic has been taken down a step; somehow the tracks aren't as memorable. That said, Hinterland still rises high above the regular crop of downtempo contenders -- listen to the sweeping strings on "Fall Break" or his collaboration with Kate Rogers, "The Girl Who Fell Through the Ice."

After listening to AIM's "Hinterland", I can say this isn't straight hip-hop as we know it. In fact, AIM offers a vast array of downtempo, pop, funk and acid jazz with embellishments of hip-hop. IMO, "Hinterland" would have sounded even better without the rap music, still, it's full of other surprises that overcompensate for this like the dreamy, "The Girl Who Fell Through the Ice", the super electro-funky, "What Do People Do All Day?", the sexy, 70s flavored "Good Disease", and the 60s go-go jamfest, "Vipco!" All in all, "Hinterland" is a very impressive sophomore effort from Andy Turner, and should fit quite nicely in your CD collection!

I have slowly begun to enjoy the sound of hip-hop, as I discover more artists who strip the hedonism out of the music and go for artistry and talent. Blackalicious is another favorite that lands in this general camp. My brother introduced me to this album and I am impressed, as the grooves are fun, and the rhymes are intelligent and entertaining. Track 8 is a real bomb, but the rest is fair to great. I can't compare other albums from this group, but if you want enjoyable music from bona fide artists trying to innovate and do something new, try out this album.

This release progresses some of the sounds that were introduced and hinted at on Cold Water Music. As a whole this album is more introspective and self-conscious. It has less of a hip-hop feel and is quite dark in places. Kate Rogers teams up again with Aim on the hauntingly beautiful "The Girl Who Fell Through the Ice". Linctus is a melodic and atmospheric piece that brings the tempo of the album right down to bare minimum. Souls of Mischief guest spot to combine for the trans-Atlantic production of No Restriction. This track is a little lighter in mood with its hip-hop infused rhymes. The Omen featuring Diamond D really stands out on an album full of well produced tracks. Diamond D's lyrics are delivered purposefully and heavy but the backing instrumental is soft and slow creating an interesting effect.

If you liked Cold Water Music, but like me, felt the quality of tracks declined as the album wore on, you will definitely like this. It's basically like all the great tracks from CWM, but this time all the way through to the end. If you haven't heard anything by Aim , and if you like downtempo hip-hop, great melodies, funky basslines and rappers who add rather than detract from the music then I do recommend this to you. I read that Andy Turner had only recently heard the Pet Sounds LP for the first time, and that it (obviously) had knocked him for six. You can kind of see the similarity between Hinterland and Pet Sounds in the attention to detail in the music. Clearly a lot of thought, time and effort have gone into this music. Maybe Aim's next offering will move further towards the soulful melodic sound Brian Wilson perfected back in the '60s. The biggest compliment I can make is that in time, I think Hinterland could come to be regarded in the same bracket as Pet Sounds.

when i first heard this album i was really really surprised, its got a great mix of rock rap and electronic music with a different feel to each song, it makes for a really good listen throughout the whole cd