After last year’s release on Digitalis, Sam Goldberg’s back with some more high-flying tracks that manage to soar through every layer of the atmosphere during their journey.  He shuts the hatch of his synth, the vessel of choice for just such a mission, and takes off. You get the real sense of star bursts, comet tails, planets revolving in orbit, lunar landings, labyrinth-like galaxies, and such. Each track serves as an astral encounter that connects one more dot to form the constellation of this whole album, Hazel. In comparison with his debut LP, this one is definitely smoother and less of a bumpy ride. It’s very easy on the ears. Reminds me a lot of other artists like Red Electric Rainbow, Cloudland Ballroom, and Outer Space. One surprise was the closing track trails some vocals like leaking rocket fuel, which I didn’t expect after all the predominantly instrumental selections. Great record. I can’t wait to hear where Goldberg’s travels will take him next.
9/10
