PAN AMERICAN
The River Made No Sound (Kranky)
Reviewed by Jason Thornberry

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Mark Nelson's Pan American project isn't really too far away from Pole, with less bass and dub action, or an even more ambient, chilled-out Tangerine Dream. The soundtrack to Firestarter serves as a passable link, or second cousin. This was deficient, of course, of any human combustion sequences or George C. Scott as an aspirant pedophile with a ponytail though.

The only downside to these nine tracks would have to be the fact that they all quiver and pulsate courteously in the background, and never really did much to make me look up from the pad I was taking these notes in. I would recommend it if you tire of Assuck, Brutal Truth, Eye Yamatsuka, or listening to anyone seemingly give birth in the vocal booth. This runs calmly from commencement to conclusion, and it's almost the audio supplement to sitting near a cloudy body of water and watching those little bugs skate across the surface, occasionally being dined on by punctual fish. Indeed the river in question is quiet, but there is life within.

GRADE: B.

© 2002 - Jason Thornberry