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Music Review
Sibelius: The Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1
Handel - Messiah / Ameling · A. Reynolds · Langridge · Howell · Marriner
Amazon.com
Two Lone Swordsmen, actually DJs Keith Tenninswood and Andrew Weatherall, have released a veritable concept album here, putting sea divers on the cover and drowning the listener in waves of atmospheric melodies and song-to-song flow. This record isn't just another club mix; the sensation TLS successfully achieve is of literally being underwater. As far as overall style goes, they incorporate several different elements of their ever-expanding techno palate, applying trance, light drum & bass, and electro-funk in their musical approach and using wavering, water-logged tones, sampled tides, and muted melodies that rise to the surface like air bubbles. The atmospheric elements in songs such as "We Change the Frequency" are so pronounced, in fact, that it even makes for a certain kitschy fun, like a submerged Stereolab. The distinctly land-based and inconsistent EP, A Bag of Blue Sparks, which comprises the final five tracks, feels tacked on. But bonus-track quibbles aside, if you're planning on doing a little scuba diving after the rave (or just relaxing somewhere after a long club night), Stay Down is the perfect soundtrack. --Matthew Cooke