Evan Bartolomew - Borderlands [New Land Music - 2007]Borderlands is a pleasant if not practically original mix of upbeat ambient, modern Classical, flimatic snap-shots, with the odd dart into electronica too. The sixteen tracks wind by at a fairly varied and tuneful rate, so you certainly won’t get bored or jaded. There really is nothing wrong with the tracks on offer, their composed and executed with suitable grace and audio finesse, non of the tracks making an real Missteps. It’s just there seems little of Mr Batholomew’s own musical voice here. You can hear traces of Steve Reich with the use of looped and repetitive string layering, traces of Michael Nyman With the sawing melodies, shoulder rubs with more up-beat Eno, nods at early 90’s electronicia- maybe a safer and brighter Autechre at their more cinematic. Through-out you almost have a mental tick box of where he’s taken certainly elements or traits and mixed them in. Of course there’s nothing wrong with that as preety much every artist burrows or nods towards others, but the thing is here he doesn’t have enough of his own voice to make it have the wow factor. A passable effort that will nether offend or amaze- this is simply pleasant no-frills instrumental music.    Roger Batty
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