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Oct 07, 2010 Web Exclusive By Hays Davis

After recording 2007’s In Light with only vintage analog synthesizers, Arp’s Alexis Georgopoulos went back to the electronic drawing board and rethought his purity of approach. The Soft Wave, his new album of instrumentals, generally maintains an electronic framework while fleshing out the palate to in include guitar, piano, and flute. The result resembles at times a warmer, friendlier version of Krautrock, or of ‘70s Kraftwerk.

The opening track, “Pastoral Symphony,” plays like a lost movement from Autobahn: with a rising, fading electronic landscape, its forward motion is nudged along by bumping synth-bass notes. Rather than a purely retro ride, however, the piece becomes lined with harder edges as it nears the ten-minute mark.

Even with the finely fried “Summer Girl” (imagine Arp as produced by Joe Meek) and the subtle chaos stirred with the guitar tweaks of “White Light,” Georgopoulos manages to maintain Arp’s personality as he expands it. Still, you may find yourself needing nothing further than setting the bliss-inducing “Grapefruit” on repeat and locking on some comfortable headphones. (www.myspace.com/arp001)

Author rating: 6/10