Leave

Album review

Danish musician Rasmus Rasmussen has sporadically issued transmissions from his guitar-driven downtempo IDM solo project Aerosol on labels like Active Suspension and n5MD, but he's been far more productive as part of Causa Sui, a psych/stoner rock supergroup featuring longtime collaborators Jakob Skøtt (Syntaks) and Jonas Munk (Manual). Arriving six years after Airborne, the fullest realization of Aerosol's sound yet, Rasmussen returns with Leave, his cosmically minded third LP. Moving away from the clicky beats of earlier recordings, Leave features primitive drum machines closer in spirit to Cluster/Harmonia, and the combination of shimmering synths and chiming Stratocaster are reminiscent of Manuel Göttsching, or at least Mark McGuire channeling him. As with previous albums, the atmosphere is sparse and airy, but it generally has a sunny tone to it, an aural equivalent of walking around a beautiful park or mountain during a gorgeous day with the temperature just chilly enough to require wearing an extra layer or two. The album generally has a hazy, off-center feel recalling Boards of Canada. "Leave" features trippy backwards guitar effects and fluttering synth oscillations, while more percussive tracks like "Reach" and "Exposure" approach Ulrich Schnauss' brand of electronic shoegaze. The tone is light and relaxed, but there's enough going on to prevent things from getting too sleepy.

© Paul Simpson /TiVo