Erik Wøllo - Gateway (2010)

Tracklist

01. Land of Myths
02. First Arrival
03. The Crossing
04. A Sublime Place
05. Gateway
06. Blue Universe
07. The Traveler
08. There Will Be Snow
09. The Mental Trail
10. Full Circle
11. Wetlands
12. Thule

On Gateway, Erik Wøllo presents the kind of travelog predicted by Joe Meek with I Hear a New World, a soundtrack of a visit to an alien world. The roots of the release are more readily placed in late-'70s space rock and '80s new age, though, and while Gateway is an enjoyable listen, it's not very inspiring in feeling like a new launching point for both sound and style. The elegant blend of dreamy synth loops, deep bass tones, soft electric guitar parts, and more simply doesn't break through into a new, striking synthesis. There's no question that Gateway is both well-performed and arranged; it's a lovely sounding effort throughout, with standout tracks including the title song, a quiet shuffling beat anchoring a peaceful piano melody and other elements suggesting a ship gently arcing through alien skies, and "The Traveler," with its mid-song break of sudden synth swells feeling like a sudden sunrise over the arc of a planet. "Land of Myths" starts out with a cosmic tour Cosmos sense, then more steady synth plucks and rolls show up on "First Arrival," sounding like a first meeting with aliens - definitely the end of '70s-zone space rock via a new age filter when the steady ominous/beautiful late-night Miami Vice synths come in. The concluding track, "Thule," revolves around both a slightly more upfront rhythm and a slow, flowing, treated guitar loop that ends the album on a high note - it's at once of a piece with the rest of the album, while also giving a sense that things will continue in a chilled, wondrous way. In all, though, the sheer pleasantness of Gateway, its attractive mysteriousness and gentle, contemplative feeling, is of a piece with many other albums over the years, making it neither more nor less than exactly what it aims to be.

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