scoundrel, Sep 17, 2008
Although _The Magical Sounds of Banco De Gaia_ promises a lot with the title, it manages to hit the point about 75% of the time. Sure, Banco de Gaia has always had a slight issue with cheesiness ("I Love Baby Cheesy" hits the point a bit too on the head), they can also come out with some quite pleasant tracks -- a curious mixture of the silly and the sublime. For instance, the Indian rhythm chant on "Harvey and the Old Ones" comes up against a house beat and some whirling electronics. Not a direct hit, but a fair miss. "Frog's Dinner" brings back the good ol' days of ambient dub, but it's the slow dreaminess of "Sinhala" and the gentle, string-laden "Glove Puppet" that make an impression. For a more upbeat track, "No Rain," with its Chinese instrumentation, that gets the heart beating. An imperfect album, but with just enough magic.
3.9/5 (