Posted on 07/21/2008
End Titles...Stories for Film is the latest Unkle album, another atmospheric collaboration between current members James Lavelle and Pablo Clements. Though a few of the tracks have actually been used in films, one should not infer that the album itself is a soundtrack; End Titles is a stand-alone work that, as one publicity blurb puts it, is "inspired by the moving image." This may be the conceptual inspiration, but even without awareness of it the album fits together remarkably well. Vocal tracks are bridged together through instrumental interludes while the distinct, reverberated production succeeds in maintaining unity across numerous vocalists and styles.

Unkle is usually thought of as an electronic act, but here the influence of electronica is often relegated to production technique. The sound palette makes great use of organic instrumentation; strings, piano, orchestral percussion, guitars, and drum kits are processed and filtered, but behind and around them all is the omnipresence of digital reverb, so much so that the reverb could almost be considered an instrument in its own right. Depending on the track, the manipulation of reverb may provide an icy or watery feel, a suggestion of shifting spatial dynamics, and with all that comes alternating feelings of calm and unsettlement, a distinct atmospheric bed that paints a mood more effectively than any particular lyric or melody.

Many of the tracks are much more rock-oriented than you might expect, to the extent that the presence of electronics in those sections of the album creates a sound reminiscent of that achieved by Lanois and Eno when collaborating with U2. These songs, which are more dominating and aggressive in tone, tend to emerge as centerpieces, purposefully and skillfully blended into quieter instrumental passages. The instrumental bits will often state or restate themes present elsewhere in the album, creating a sense of development but also a unifying structure to the larger work. This unity is also achieved without sacrificing the individuality of the parts; many records of this nature are more easily appreciated as albums than as singles. Here quite a few of the songs maintain strength even when considered separately: "Against the Grain," and "Clouds" are two such examples, the latter being especially unique.

End Titles drags occasionally, but on the whole this is a skillful collection, one that compares favorably against the many derivative attempts by less talented artists to arrive at a similar sound.

- Justin Deremo