I?m not sure what this says about the international ambient/experimental scene, but the thing that stood out most about this record by Israeli ambient/experimental musician Kinoro Shel Rothschild is how ?Western? it sounds. Really, there isn?t a whole lot of difference between this and the My Country of Illusion disc reviewed elsewhere this update. This got me thinking about the nature of influence, accessibility, and homogeneity ? and very nearly sparked an essay, but that?s a piece for another time...
The disc itself is solid. Rothschild has a good ear for a sample and is an adept arranger. He is quite good at evoking a sense of paranoia and isolation, check out the creepy ?bread and roses? and the muted title track. At times he goes a bit nuts with the synth pads, as on ?shitaka daka?. Also, as the liner notes are presented in both Hebrew and English, it would have been nice had he or the label provided an English translation of some of the Hebrew spoken word sections, but this is a minor quibble. 7/10 --
Neddal Ayad (24 October, 2005)
