Edgar Froese - Ambient Highway Vol.3 (2003)

Seconds out, round 3. This volume contains 6 totally new pieces, and only 2 from 'BtS'. Two new tracks open, starting with 'Down to Barstow' which is a good driving piece of EM, then we get 'Copper Coast' which is an interesting juxtaposition of rattling sequences and stabby synth chords. 'Days of Camouflage' is a decent enough outing but doesn't encourage much perusal, anyway I'm more intrigued by what 'Macula Transfer (Part Two)' is – because there isn't a title track on said album – unsurprisingly it's the stand-out piece 'IF810' liberally supplemented by breathy synth lines which don't sound too bad actually – not that the original needs them such is the pure genius of this piece. 'Macula Transfer' is a rarity on CD so this may increase the desirability factor of this CD. As for the 'Part Two' I'm now thinking this is a deliberate attempt to differentiate the re-recording from the original?

'The Night at Ayers Rock' is another new piece, shorter than most at a touch over 3 minutes and notable by the grandiose stance and lack of rhythm – welcome variety. 'The Light Cone' from 'Pinnacles' is next, a good piece presented well here. 'Genesta in the Afternoon Glow' from 'BtS' is a heart warming piece with some feeling, before we're plunged headlong into 'Drunken Mozart in the Desert' which opens with a completely new section which is certainly different though I'm not totally convinced! Then we are presented with the wonderful sequence pulsations of this track which eventually mutate into that wonderful melodic section, another forgotten gem to my ears which has me making a New Year resolution to pack the car's CD changer with all his original works.

Finally we get a trio of new pieces. 'Gizeh Sunset' is a totally engaging piece, though it does sound familiar in a 'Canyon Dreams' sort of way. 'Summer in Key West' is another great track, good melodies and well placed sequencing. Finally 'Craving for a Rose' ends with slow tempo and more convincing melodics, I'd be even more convinced if I could be sure the beat was a hand crafted Froese original rather than an out-of-the-box preset. Maybe the remark comes from the almost total perfection of the new tracks, they are so professional they somehow lack the sentiment, the feeling of the organic earlier works. Even so, this is another impressive album, and testament that even 3 volumes in I'm not tiring of this work.