Valis

Along with Jonas Munk and Ulrich Schnauss, Christian Kleine is one of the most talented producers of the Morr Music/City Centre Offices axis of German IDM pop, and Valis sees him jumping ship from City Centre to Morr for another set of nippy electronica. While Kleine's productions are rich with ornate qualities like bright melodies, busy beats and breaks, and crystalline effects, many of them still remain subdued enough that they can drift into the background without much notice. "Red Norvo" is the unassuming highlight of the disc. Hardly having anything to do with the late vibes player that it's named after, one wonders why Kleine wasn't compelled to title the lovely song "Section 25" or "The Durutti Column"; perfectly placed semi-spirals of guitar and subdued keyboard tones shift above a placid, plaintive beat, bringing to mind any number of pre-Madchester Factory artists. Kleine's increased use of guitar and bass is a step in the right direction, but there are moments where his graceful nuances are forsaken in favor of harsh beats that make the overall effect of this record seem more cluttered than broad.