Woob - Woob 1194 FLAC download

On first impressions, it's difficult to pinpoint what separates Woob from its peers. It's certainly not devoid of cliché, that's for sure. The first track opens to the most stock 'world music' sounds you could possibly imagine. Tabla, random chanting from some obscure Eastern tribe.. One could be forgiven for thinking they were listening to a Deep Forest album. This doesn't carry on for very long though, and before you know it the first track, On Earth has found itself a hypnotic groove, a criminally fat baseline, and some stunning synthetic textures which slowly weave about and transform over the ensuing twenty or so minutes. It's by far the longest piece on the album.. And it evolves so gradually that it's almost impossible to isolate any single progression, but by the time it draws to a close, you've practically forgotten where you started. On this piece, comparisons could easily be made to the principles employed by Australian band The Necks, whereby the destination tends to take a back seat to the journey itself. I think one of the things that make this such an enduring album is that Frankland covers a broad range of themes and moods, yet manages to maintain consistency in tone; a strong sense of isolation and solitude. Amoeba sounds like a treated excerpt from an Ennio Morricone score, almost suggestive of a solemn vigil by a campfire, somewhere out on the prairie. This in turn leads into Wuub, a deeply introspective, down tempo, dubby piece, which conjures up images of an arctic cavern; its passages slowly unwinding before you. I realize this is probably all sounding like a bit of a stretch, but to the contrary, I think it's a real testament to Franklin's vision. The music is constantly changing and evolving, always moody and cinematic, but never pointed. In short, it suggests ideas and environments, but leaves the rest up to you. Moreover, I get the impression that he was conscious of not falling into the clichés which often plague albums of an ambient nature. It's quite a challenge to successfully pull the listener out of their comfort zone into other, darker realms without betraying the overall vision of the record. The second last track, Strange Air, succeeds admirably. It's quite linear in its structure, and operates around a drone effect, which gradually gets darker as the piece progresses. A passage of dialogue from a horror film emerges at around the half-way mark, culminating in some tasty chopping sounds and a girl screaming. Yes indeed, probably the lamest moment on the album. It's interesting though.. I've found if I'm listening attentively to this piece, the passage has no effect on me at all. But if I'm a tad zoned out, it really gives me quite a shock.. And I think that's exactly how Franklin wants it. Listen closely, but not too closely. Woob truly is a hauntingly cinematic, moving, exploratory hour of electronica. There are a couple of points where you feel the inspiration may have been lacking, but for an album in a genre which has been explored to saturation point, these moments are surprisingly few and far between.. And as other albums of it's vintage and ilk begin to age as a result of their ideas or technological watermarks, there is a timeless warmth and organic nature to Franklin's work which has seldom been reproduced, and never matched.

One of the most soul-stirringly beautiful albums I've ever heard. I highly recommend listening to it with a really _good_ pair of headphones. The half hour plus opening track is a challenge even for deadicated ambient-heads, but anyone who sits through the entirety of it whill be justly rewarded. Wuub and Odonna are similarly moving, but in a shorter time frame. It was the end of "Odonna" that inspired me to comment on this release. The pulsing deep bass and skittering scrapes of Emperor is sensual and visceral at the same time. Strange Air starts out quite well, but is unfortunately marred by extended film samples. It is still an excellent ambient tracks, but it'd be much better off without any spoken bits. Amoeba short and cute, but little more than a novelty song. In spite of these two lesser moments, _Woob_ is a landmark in the word of ambient music, and possibly the finest em:t recording.

First heard this ambient album on a pirate 'ambient' radio station in 1994 (here in south london). It is an epic and beautiful work which still captures ones emotions and imagination.