The Waiting Room

The Waiting Room

Nearly three years lapsed between Lusine’s Lucky Numbers and The Waiting Room. But that’s not to say Jeff McIlwain wasn’t keeping busy during the interim. After scoring a few different films, he returned to the studio with a head full of ideas, many of which bled into this album. Much of Lusine’s previous music leaned heavy on ambient/IDM foundations, trimmed with techno rhythms and kinetic electro textures. But here McIlwain gets comparatively orchestral. The aptly titled “Panoramic” opens, with sprawling soundscapes that come to life under shifting layers of analog Krautrock tones balanced with drumming that sounds more human. A cover of Electronic’s 1991 hit “Get the Message” follows. It recalls parts of Kraftwerk’s Trans-Europe Express, save for distorted vocals by McIlwain’s wife, Sarah, who sings Bernard Sumner’s lines like an automaton. Even when returning to his original IDM form, as heard in “Lucky,” the welcoming female vocal parts and more accessible melodies help make the track radio-friendly. The ethereal “Without a Plan” undulates as if were produced by My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields.

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