Although Anna Mayberry and David Psutka may be best known for their HSY and Egyptrixx projects, there's something to be said about how much care is put into their Anamai collaboration. On their third LP, Dream Baby, the Toronto duo seem at their most relaxed and engaged, putting together a nine-song set of 21st century ambient samba.
What makes tracks like the pitched-down crawler "Dream Baby," the playfully dark "Bank Towers" and the cinematic "Swelling" so absorbing lies in how dedicated Mayberry and Psutka remain in their simplicity, using hushed repetition to craft a handful memorable soundscapes.
But that said, there's a small element to Dream Baby that feels slightly forced, as the duo stretch to keep this 40-minute LP running at the same bubbling pace, as demonstrated by analogous tracks like "The Holder" and "How to Be Real." But if the listener can find the patience to submit to Dream Baby, there's a hypnotic charm to be found.
(Halocline Trance)What makes tracks like the pitched-down crawler "Dream Baby," the playfully dark "Bank Towers" and the cinematic "Swelling" so absorbing lies in how dedicated Mayberry and Psutka remain in their simplicity, using hushed repetition to craft a handful memorable soundscapes.
But that said, there's a small element to Dream Baby that feels slightly forced, as the duo stretch to keep this 40-minute LP running at the same bubbling pace, as demonstrated by analogous tracks like "The Holder" and "How to Be Real." But if the listener can find the patience to submit to Dream Baby, there's a hypnotic charm to be found.
