Found at: http://trance.net/article/articleprint/334/-1/29/
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Stress Assassin "Carrier Track"
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Top level
Music reviews
Chill out/ambient reviews
Stress Assassin (Henrik Jonsson) is out with his second album on Swedish Spiral Trax Records. I didn`t like his first album at all (Within The Office Of Eye And Ear, released on Spiral Trax 2002). But after reading some good words about his second album, I will give him another chance to prove that he can make some enjoyable chill out.
Stress Assassin "Carrier Track" Spiral Trax Records 2003 (SPITCD018)
1. Cartoon City
2. Mountain
3. Death For A Living
4. I. Depth
5. Montecristo
6. Me We
7. Looking Glass Friend
8. The Soul Of A Microwave Oven
9. 4 Openings In A T-Shirt
10. Alarmklocka
11. Raumwelt Signal
12. Dust
13. Lextorp 2
14. EU A4
Stress Assassin makes mostly pure dub music. His first album was only dub, with very little sounds and melodies. With other words, very minimal and little varied. Already in track 1 on this album, you can hear that he has changed a little bit. We get floating sounds and more melody. This is ambient, without the dub rhythms we usually get from this guy. Track 2 is back in the same old Stress Assassin reggae dub style. Very slow going dub. But I think this is more pleasant than most tracks on the first album, since we get some relaxing guitar in this one. Of course there could have been some more variation, but it is slightly better than before. Track 3 is more happy. Still totally slow going dub. Track 4 was first released on the Ease Division 2 compilation on Spiral Trax this summer. In my ears a very boring track. Minimal dub all the way through. Track 5 is a much more beautiful ambient track. No dub rhythms, just floating beautiful sounds. Track 6 is back into the dub vibes gain, but in a much more pleasant way. This is floating and very relaxing. Track 7 is very melodic, with some nice down tempo rhythms. Very different from his first album.
Track 8 is some sort of funky chill out track. Totally slow going weird dub. This could have been more varied, but the track is pretty short. Track 9 sounds atmospheric and floating. Really beautiful and relaxing. One of the best tracks on this album in my ears. Track 10 is a really short morning chilled track. Track 11 is back to pure relaxing ambient again. Spaced out, deep, atmospheric vibes just floating around. Nice one. Track 12 sounds almost like it is inspired by country music, but it is just a short little track. Track 13 sounds like it is inspired by the seventies or something, with electronic organ. Not very creative track in my ears. The last track on this album is a floating dark ambient track. But it is actually not the last! If you wait a couple of minutes after the last track, you get a hidden track! This hidden track also sounds like it is inspired by some psychedelic music from the seventies.
This album is in my opinion much better than his first one, but it isn`t great. I just have a feeling that this guy could have done so much more with his tracks. But it is relaxing, so if you like minimal dub chill, you should check it out.
PK
