Dalhous – Will To Be Well

A wordless ambient concept album about pioneering Scottish psychiatrist R.D. Laing might sound like too conceptual a proposition for some electronica fans, but in the hands of Edinburgh-based producer Dalhous, and stamped with approval by bleeding-edge alternative label Blackest Ever Black, it is nothing short of remarkable. A Communion With These People luxuriates in sampled white noise, washed-out synths and pulsing, narcotic percussion. The beatless, bubbling synths of Fuction Curve are warm and welcoming, like a stripped-down Boards of Canada.

Elsewhere, glitched drums and a distant, guitar-like refrain brocade the stately electro of Sensitised to this Area; the stuttering, Autechre-like drum patterns of Four Daughters by Four Women approach proto-techno; while the industrial overtones of Thoughts Out Of Season are almost hypnotic. The richly-textured beatless tracks will continue to haunt you, ethereal and strange, and if the titles pique your curiosity, this album would perfectly accompany an afternoon spent researching Laing's work. [Bram E. Gieben]