Nostromo 7 - Cinemind

Despite being a relatively new name, the Hungarian duo collectively known as Nostromo 7 have been collaborating since the late '90s; first as Iceflowers, then as their current incarnation. Drawing on influences as eclectic as Peter Gabriel to Kraftwerk to Pink Floyd, 'Cinemind' isn't as jumpy of an album as one may imagine.

The album kicks off to a brilliant start with the atmospheric 'Silence', echoes of synthpop can be heard whilst the vocals are delivered in that half-sung, half-whispered style popular in the 90s. The deep atmosphere continues with the piano and string-heavy 'They'. The tempo for the most part is slow with a handful of upbeat moments. Despite these upbeat moments, Nostromo 7 still retain a very laid-back feel. 'Melt Away' has more of an organic feel with ethereal vocals, melodic lead guitar & again, thick strings.

The four tracks in the center of 'Cinemind' have more of a gothic and downtempo feel compared to the first half. Tracks like 'Body And Soul' stray into chill-out territory whilst others like Ocean Blue' remind of ethereal groups like Black Tape For A Blue Girl with strong female vocals courtesy of guest singer Erzsebet Vas. Things pick up again towards the end with a few more industrial tracks before 'Cinemind' drops off with an instrumental piano outro.

Overall, 'Cinemind' is a well accomplished album, it passes the test of combining two different styles and making them flow cohesively. As a whole, I would have liked to have heard less of the softer tracks as I feel their harder tracks are more convincing and interesting. Mar 07 2011