Distance

Marconi Union

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 14, 2006)
• Original Release Date: March 14, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: All Saints
• ASIN: B000AY2JPU
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #74,329 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Sleepless

2. These European Cities

3. Through Glass

4. Buildings and People

5. Suburb 27

6. Inter

7. A Temporary Life

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

What goes around comes around ambient. That's the message from a third generation of electronica artists who were just leaving the womb when Brian Eno's early works were being diffused in the 1970s. They were barely teens when the Orb rolled forth in the '90s. But new artists like Boards of Canada, the Album Leaf, and Explosions in the Sky are taking those early ambient primers and adding geometries of glitch and dream guitar to the mix, creating a melodic brand of ethereal music with an edge. Marconi Union, a Manchester duo, follow suit on a CD that travels in cinematic melancholy and textural malaise. Their songs build slowly, emerging out of a flattened landscape of static and stillness to attain a quietly triumphal beauty. Percussion is almost subliminal in journeys that pulse more than groove. It sometimes gets ominous, with an ostinato bass growl prowling through a Blade Runner landscape on "Inter." But usually they generate a quiet awe, like the slow build of "Sleepless." Expect to hear tracks from Distance in soundtracks and commercials near you soon. --John Diliberto

Product Description

Marconi Union is a reclusive electronic duo from Manchester, England. Their sound has been described as "a post rock cinematic orchestra." Distance, their first U.S. release, is unique, individual and timeless, fusing acoustic sounds, strings and pianos with electronica, post-rock guitars and even occasional nods towards jazz and dub. Described by the band as "a soundtrack to a film that has not yet been made," listening to Distance evokes the feeling of being driven silently around an unknown city at night, observing the activity and life of the urban sprawl in safety and isolation.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Interpretation of Dreams, April 30, 2007

By	S. E. Vogiatzis (Athens, Greece) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

At the end of the previous century, Brian Eno's genius, expressed through his various ambient works, set an insurmountable barrier for those that they chose to follow his pattern. To put it bluntly, he set a standard that nobody managed even to come near to. (Maybe his brother came close, but he was still lacking Brian's imagination and mood to discover).

All these until Marconi Union and their Distance work. Dreamy atmosphere, almost psychoanalytic, moving in all senses. A perfect link to Eno's Music For Films sequel. A perfect step towards ambient fulfillment.

It is really hopeful that such groups exist and needless to say, we are truly looking forward to their next work.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Urban Longing, January 23, 2007

By	Rebecca Johnson "SeasonedwithLove.com" (Washington State) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

Marconi Union's Distance album is a warm embrace of ambient textures with drifting melodies and haunting memories filled with dreamy longings. If you can't sleep, put this in your CD player/stereo and climb into a warm bath. The music is well suited to relaxation, reading late at night or simply dissolving into a memorable mood.

"Through Glass" is more sensuous, while "Buildings and People" has a more luminous trajectory with the feeling that a city has been left completely empty, it is almost haunting in beauty. "A Temporary Life" has shy jazz flourishes, but overall seems to be melting into the night.

The urban moods build on each other until you feel completely relaxed. This album has hints of places you like to be and it seems to call you to distant locations where you'd like to spend more time dreaming.

~The Rebecca Review

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music for the future..., November 8, 2006

By	Joseph Snodgrass "www.loungingsound.com" (Spokane, WA) - See all my reviews

Marconi Union's album [Distance] is definately the soundtrack to the year 2020. This classic ambient feel (of Brian Eno) is brought into the 21st century perfectly. The subtleties of many different styles are infused into this gentle & rhythmic cruise through the city at night. You can feel the lights of the future around you;the electric, vibrant colored billboards, the half lights of the industry, the soft glows of windows on the ocean side. I recommend this album to fans of ambience and artists like Eno, Cliff Martinez (the Solaris, Traffic, Wicker Park soundtracks), Royksopp, Eric Serra (5th Element, Goldeneye, The Professional, + other soundtracks), HUVA Network, Solar Fields, Aes Dana, Aphex Twin, the Orb, Orbital, Moby, and many other artists of the like.